Mar 08 2025 25 mins 1
North Carolina is home to world-class university research — but many groundbreaking ideas never make it beyond the lab. Now, a new nonprofit backed by state and private funds is working to turn university research into thriving businesses, with the goal of creating jobs and boosting the state’s economy.
In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Michelle Bolas, executive vice president and chief innovation officer of NCInnovation, discusses how the organization works to bridge the gap between lab research and market-ready technology.
In a conversation with Ledger editor Tony Mecia, Bolas discusses: why university research is important to the future of North Carolina; why private industry alone can’t develop promising technologies; projects NCInnovation is supporting at UNC Charlotte, on water quality and electric grid stability; and how NCInnovation spends its money, and what it is doing with the $500 million allocated to it from North Carolina’s General Assembly.
You can find out more about NCInnovation at NCInnovation.org.
This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast was produced by Lindsey Banks.
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