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NCInnovation may sound like a catchy name for a craft beer, but it is much more than a name.

NCInnovation is a nonprofit organization created to unlock the innovative potential of North Carolina鈥檚 world-class public universities. While the state of North Carolina is a well-recognized leader in research and development, the output does not measure up to the state鈥檚 size and historically, most of the state鈥檚 research efforts have stemmed from the Research Triangle Park.

Today, other regions of North Carolina are making a name for themselves with innovative concepts that University of North Carolina System schools are developing through academic-industry partnerships every day. This is where NCInovation steps in 鈥� to bridge academia and industry, to move inventions to market and create long-term economic benefits for all regions of the state. This is done by supporting researchers with grant funding, mentorship and partnership development to commercialize applied research breakthroughs and accelerate the transition from the classroom to the production floor.

NCInnovation鈥檚 focus is on supporting North Carolina public university research that has commercial promise. Four regional networks are located at UNC System campuses in Charlotte, Cullowhee, Greensboro and Greenville. WCU is part of NCInnovation鈥檚 Western Regional Network, led by Meagan Coneybeer, regional innovation network director. 鈥淲e are tech agnostic, which means that we are open to any faculty member here in the western part of the state at our institutions which include WCU, UNC Asheville, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Morganton and Appalachian State,鈥� Coneybeer said. The program supports faculty working on industry-led, program-based innovations in partnership with industry or those who are interested in collaborating on large scale regional economic development projects that would be anchored in research, experience and excellence of a university collaboration.

As part of the pilot grant funding, Brian Byrd, WCU鈥檚 mosquito expert and professor in the environmental health sciences program, along with Scott Huffman, professor in WCU鈥檚 Department of Chemistry and Physics, have been approved for grant funding from NCInnovation to continue their work in developing tools that utilize spectroscopy to analyze vibrational signals from mosquitoes. 鈥淯sing spectroscopy, we are developing tools that analyze chemical signals from mosquitoes to tell us the species, sex, age of the mosquitoes and if they are infected,鈥� Byrd said. 鈥淯sing our approach, we can rapidly assess the risk of infection in the Aedes mosquitoes that transmit dengue fever and Zika.鈥� Currently, it takes days or weeks to conduct this type of risk assessment, but the approach Byrd and Huffman are developing will make the work much quicker and more efficient.

鈥淭here is a similar Aedes mosquito in Western North Carolina that transmits La Crosse virus causing encephalitis in children every year,鈥� Byrd said. 鈥淭his tool gives us a platform to improve risk assessments and opportunities to reduce human disease.鈥�

For Huffman, this project hits close to home. 鈥淲hen I was a boy, I almost died from a vector-borne disease,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his experience impacted me. While I have no skills or ability to address the particular disease that I experienced, working with Brian for the past six years has given me the opportunity to contribute in a small way to the field of pediatric vector-borne diseases. This funding from NCI will help us translate some of our fundamental laboratory research into an applied tool that hopefully will benefit society.鈥�

The grant approval is conditioned on standard next steps, including executed grant agreements and formal notification to government partners. The funding is part of NCInnovation鈥檚 larger mission to unlock the innovative potential of North Carolina鈥檚 world-class universities.

鈥淒r. Byrd and Dr. Huffman鈥檚 award from NCI is a testament to the exemplary dedication to teaching and applied research by the outstanding faculty at 91女神,鈥� WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown said. 鈥淭his funding serves as a catalyst for additional innovative exploration by our faculty as we strive to bolster economic condition in Western North Carolina and indeed the entire state. I would like to thank the General Assembly for supporting exciting, applied research underway here at WCU and across the UNC System.鈥�

The grant funding from NCInnovation鈥檚 larger effort to support the development and commercialization of university research in North Carolina. The campus-to-industry pipeline has been the foundation of American innovation for decades.

鈥淲e are consistently blown away by the applied research innovations coming out of North Carolina鈥檚 public universities,鈥� said Michelle Bolas, NCInnovation executive vice president and chief innovation officer.

鈥淒r. Byrd鈥檚 and Dr. Huffman鈥檚 work has promising applications throughout the state and country and we鈥檙e excited to watch this research continue to develop.鈥� Bennet Waters, president and CEO of NCInnovation; is excited about the opportunities that will stem from these partnerships. 鈥淎t its core, NCI is a regional economic development opportunity and the concept is to use the existing or potentially applied research from our university campuses and not just those that are in the RTP,鈥� said Waters. 鈥淭here is so much applied research happening and this gives us the opportunity to support that journey to commercialization and to partner with universities to bring their successes to market. NCInnovation puts boots on the ground to foster these relationships. This is not a Raleigh-centric model; this is about helping folks that live beyond population centers to develop economic opportunities.鈥�

The organization received $500 million in state funding as an endowment to accelerate the commercialization of research at universities. NCInnovation will deploy the interest earned on the endowment to provide grant funding and support services to university researchers.

By doing so, NCInnovation will support the growth of new businesses and licensing revenue from commercialized research, helping boost economic development in the region. The program supports faculty working on industry-led, program-based innovations in partnership with industry or those who are interested in collaborating on large scale regional economic development projects that would be anchored in research, experience and excellence of a university collaboration.

鈥淭he partnership between WCU and NCI presents incredible opportunities to promote research-based entrepreneurship, product development and commercialization, and bolsters the likelihood of new job creation in the western portion of the state,鈥� said Rich Price, WCU鈥檚 chief marketing and strategic partnerships officer. 鈥淭he investment potential presented by NCInnovation removes so many barriers to university-led product and concept realization and the creation of intellectual property that will fuel economic growth.鈥�