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Research

Research is fundamental to the mission of UNC Charlotte. New knowledge and creative works change the world and shape the future of the University. Charlotte values research in all its forms, including scholarly inquiry, discovery, exploration, innovation, entrepreneurship, creative activities, community engagement and/or interdisciplinary endeavors.

UNC Charlotte’s research endeavors are distinct:

  • Among the 229 public doctoral-granting research universities in the United States, 124 hold the Carnegie Community Engaged University classification. Carnegie’s community engagement classification signifies that UNC Charlotte collaborates with its larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in the context of partnership and reciprocity
  • UNC Charlotte is among the 80 public universities that have earned the APLU's Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation. The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities designation recognizes that UNC Charlotte has demonstrated a meaningful, ongoing and substantial commitment to economic and community development, growth and economic opportunity

Significant research activities are focused in UNC System recognized centers and institutes. And in 2023, Charlotte launched 12 new pilot centers to foster synergistic research initiatives. In 2022, Ventureprise became the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

University research showcased for inaugural Congressional Staff Symposium

April 27, 2022
Key staff members from offices representing North Carolina’s federal Senate and House of Representatives visited UNC Charlotte for a Congressional Staff Symposium, “Shaping What’s Next at an Emerging Research University,” to learn about the University’s rapidly rising research profile.

NSF grant funding to support health monitoring system for elderly

April 26, 2022
A pair of interdisciplinary researchers from architecture and engineering recently received a grant from the National Science Foundation to use artificial intelligence to improve health care among the elderly.

Thill receives First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal

April 21, 2022
Jean-Claude Thill, Knight Distinguished Professor of Public Policy in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, is the 2022 recipient of the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal.

Refugees fleeing war-torn Ukraine are creating global migration crisis

March 31, 2022
Researchers with UNC Charlotte’s Migration Research Network offer insight about the political, social and economic implications of the mass exodus of Ukrainian people, with an eye to broader issues.

Update: Return of Facilities and Administrative funds to investigators

March 24, 2022
Last fall, UNC Charlotte made several changes to the return of Facilities and Administrative (F&A) funds to investigators, departments and centers. Now, the Office of Research and Economic Development (RED) will eliminate restrictions on amounts returned and accumulated by faculty. 

Faculty Research Grants awarded for new research and scholarly connections

March 24, 2022
Fifty-four members of UNC Charlotte’s faculty are recipients of 2022-23 Faculty Research Grants for pursuing new lines of research or establishing new scholarly collaborations.

Engineering Charlotte’s – and North Carolina’s – Future

March 11, 2022
UNC Charlotte is key to North Carolina’s continued rise in tech and energy relevance.

UNC Charlotte students and faculty help develop universal EV charging solution

February 25, 2022
PoleVolt™, an electric vehicle charging station developed by UNC Charlotte’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center in partnership with Duke Energy, the city of Charlotte and the Centralina Regional Council was unveiled at the Ritz at Washington Heights park.

Research funding hits $58 million, setting a UNC Charlotte record

January 20, 2022
Research funding at UNC Charlotte reached an all-time high in 2020-21, supporting University researchers’ efforts to address some of society’s greatest challenges, among them keeping communities healthy, mitigating cybersecurity threats and enhancing the resilience of the power grid.

Biochemist’s research holds promise for novel treatments for cancers and neurological diseases

December 15, 2021
For UNC Charlotte biochemist Andrew Truman, a quest for new and better treatments for cancers and neurological diseases drives his research into protein folding and the DNA damage response.

Charlotte's bioinformatics lab informs Mecklenburg County’s COVID-19 public health approach

December 10, 2021
Since the emergence last summer of the COVID-19 delta variant, UNC Charlotte has partnered with the Mecklenburg County Health Department to provide genome sequencing to help health officials determine where in the county the coronavirus and its variants are present.

Guiding UNC Charlotte’s research direction

December 9, 2021
Over the past year, a dedicated group of UNC Charlotte faculty, staff and administrators collaborated to study the University’s potential to become a top-tier research university.