WELCOME.

• Author: Hardin, John W.
• Position: RESEARCH NORTH CAROLINA

June 15, 2018

I am pleased to introduce this issue of Research North Carolina, a forum for sharing information from North Carolina institutions and companies about their research programs and achievements. Research-based innovation is a force multiplier--an accelerator that helps create new industries, make existing ones globally competitive, and drive economic growth and well-being. North Carolina's ability to thrive in this increasingly dynamic, global economy depends, fundamentally, on how much it infuses innovation throughout our economic system. Our future success will be determined by what we do now--the quality of our vision, how we invest, how we prioritize, and how we respond to the challenges of an evolving economy.

As shown in the North Carolina Board of Science, Technology & Innovation's most recent Tracking Innovation report, released last December, one of our state's strongest sources of innovation is its universities. North Carolina's academic R&D expenditures relative to the size of its economy rank the fourth highest in the nation. Compared to the nation overall, North Carolina's academic R&D intensity is 150 percent of the U.S. value, meaning that the amount of academic R&D in the state is 50 percent higher than what we would expect based on the levels of academic R&D in all other states.

North Carolina also has one of the fastest growing populations in the country, and its high-technology sectors are increasing in...