UNC Wins Almost $130M in Stimulus Grants

Researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill have won almost $130 million in research grants since last March as part of federal stimulus efforts.  These grants highlight cutting-edge research at the University and helped rank the Triangle region third in the nation for receipt of stimulus funds awarded by the National Institutes of Health.

“The fact that we’ve done so well with the stimulus money shows the quality of the faculty we have and the enormous power of research universities,” said Tony Waldrop, the vice chancellor for research and economic development at Chapel Hill.  “It makes a significant impact on the North Carolina economy.”

In 2007, Citizens for Higher Education was extensively involved in lobbying for creation of the University Cancer Research Fund (UCRF), an extraordinary commitment of $50 million a year in state support for cancer research at Carolina.

H. Shelton Earp, director of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, said the state money from UCRF played a critical role in leveraging federal dollars.  Roughly half the stimulus money Carolina will get is for Lineberger members, most of whom benefit from UCRF.

“If we didn’t have the state funds to expand the faculty and allow them to innovate, we would not be nearly as successful,” Earp said.

But continued state support is important once the federal dollars subside in three years.  “Our ability to do world-class research will only be enhanced by the continuity of state funding,” Earp said.

Citizens for Higher Education works to back candidates who support the University. We also work to secure and preserve support for critical initiatives like the University Cancer Research Fund.

For more information on stimulus research funds at UNC-Chapel Hill, go to: http://gazette.unc.edu/stimulus-research.html.