Sleep’s impact on the health of young Black adults. Keys to preventing childhood obesity. K-12 tutoring in Guilford County Schools. Augmented reality tech to assist first responders. Improved internet access to close Guilford’s digital divide. Mobile health units to bring nursing and mental healthcare to underserved areas.
These are a few of the projects supported by UNCG’s largest new research and impact awards.
UNCG researchers made history for a third consecutive year with funding climbing to $67M* in fiscal year 2023.
“The research and creative activity of our faculty and staff are changing lives – from our students to community members in the Piedmont Triad and around the world,” says Chancellor Frank D. Gilliam, Jr. “Our collective work makes an impact everyday contributing to a safer, healthier, and more prosperous society for all.”
The new record is a 30% jump from the previous year and represents a 74% increase over five years.
“These funding numbers reflect the tenacity of UNCG’s teacher scholars,” says Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement Terri L. Shelton, “Our scholars are committed to improving lives through evidence-based interventions, generating new knowledge, and providing students with high impact learning opportunities.”
Continuing awards made up 38% of the 2023 fiscal year total, compared to 19% the previous year. “Part of this $15.7M increase can be attributed to UNCG’s improving success rate when it comes to large, multi-year federal awards,” says Shelton.
Federal sources supplied 47% of the funding, followed by state contracts, other educational and research institutions, local North Carolina governments, nonprofits and foundations, and business and industry.
Many of the year’s major continuing awards reflect longstanding state and national partnerships, such as programs improving childcare quality and supporting youth who are experiencing homelessness or in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
Campus-wide interdisciplinary centers and special initiatives reporting to the Office of Research and Engagement brought in 38% of the 2023 research and impact funding. The College of Arts and Sciences accounted for 19%, followed by the School of Health and Human Sciences with 15% and the School of Education with 14%.
The average amount of individual awards increased in fiscal year 2023, as did the number of proposal submissions and total dollars requested. Research expenditures were also the highest in UNCG history, rising 17% in the last year.
“This is the University’s eleventh consecutive year of increased award funding,” says Shelton. “The numbers speak to the grit, passion, and productivity of UNCG’s scholars.”
By Sangeetha Shivaji
*02/28/24 Updated from $68 million to $67 million when certain awards were reclassified to FY2024.
