For the fifth consecutive year, outside investments in research at UNC have surpassed the $1 billion mark. The university reported $1.2 billion in research awards for the 2024 fiscal year (FY24).

“These new award totals are a testament to the dedication of our researchers who push the boundaries of knowledge in their fields,” said interim chancellor Lee Roberts. “The work reflected by this milestone is changing lives across our state, country and world.”

According to a release from the school, research at UNC employs more than 10,700 North Carolina residents in projects which span all 100 counties. In FY24, funding from federal sources accounted for roughly 65 percent of all research awards. Top federal sponsors included the National Institutes of Health ($592 million), the Department of Health and Human Services ($60 million) and the National Science Foundation ($40 million).

“If you take a look at the big awards the university attracted this year, it’s obvious that the secret to our success lies in our interdisciplinary, collaborative approach to finding solutions that benefit society,” said Penny Gordon-Larsen, vice chancellor for research at UNC.

Among the federally funded grants are nearly $20 million from the NIH to the Department of Genetics within UNC’s School of Medicine, nearly $7 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to UNC’s Department of Chemistry and $5 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to UNC’s Department of Maternal and Child Health in the Gillings School of Global Public Health.

The university received notable private donations as well, including $19 million from the Bloomberg Family Foundation to the Carolina Population Center and $5.45 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the Division of Women’s Health in UNC’s School of Medicine.

“Our researchers are enabled by their FY24 awards to make game-changing breakthroughs that improve the health and well-being of people and our planet while providing an economic boom to the state of North Carolina,” Gordon-Larsen said.

For a full breakdown of UNC’s FY24 research funding, click here.

 

Featured image via UNC-Chapel Hill

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