On Nov. 11, the Association of Public Land Grant Universities named UNC among their 2018 cohort of Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities. UNC joins more than 60 universities nationally who have received the IEP designation from APLU to date.
UNC contacted APLU with interest in the award and was asked to complete a two-year internal study of the University’s capacity for economic engagement and practical applications of innovative research conducted by faculty and students. Innovate Carolina, a UNC initiative, focused on the creation of innovative social and commercial enterprises.
Michelle Bolas, the director of Innovate Carolina, cites the evaluative self-study as one of the primary reasons UNC began to seek the IEP designation.
“The people here really care about being transformational in their communities and in their regions, and in the world, really,” Bolas said. “We’re trying to figure out how all of these elements can work together and what the University needs to do to support that.”
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