Partnerships That Keep NC Growing
The UNC System is North Carolina’s university. By design, our work doesn’t just benefit the students who attend our classes. Its impact extends beyond campus walls, reaching communities in all 100 counties across the state.
Our institutions play a major role shaping and promoting North Carolina’s cultural and civic life, serving as regional hubs for art, performance, sports, public service, and lifelong learning. Our faculty and students don’t just study culture—they curate and create it.
Research partnerships with outside entities strengthen North Carolina’s industries and make the state an ideal location for startup companies. Businesses and industries in North Carolina benefit from the trove of intellectual resources and the infrastructure for lab work and experimentation our institutions can provide.
Service work organized through the institutions directs faculty and student energy and expertise to help residents in need. Our institutions lead critical recovery efforts following natural disasters. UNC System faculty and staff provide remote communities with state-of-the-art clinics, dental services, and psychiatric care.
UNC System affiliates (The North Carolina Arboretum, UNC Health Care, UNC Press, and PBS North Carolina) educate and enliven; protect and inform; strengthen and heal communities in every corner of the state.
Extension work transfers the knowledge generated through our institutions’ cutting edge research directly to North Carolinians. Our faculty, staff, and students help the state’s farmers increase yields sustainably; they bring health care services to underserved communities. Our expertise helps local entrepreneurs create innovative business plans that will yield new enterprises and expand existing ones. UNC System extension helps budding artisans hone their skills and gives home gardeners greener thumbs.
Literally and figuratively, UNC System community engagement work helps North Carolina bloom.
Teaching That Generates Talent
The UNC System partners with businesses and industries across the state. Together, we train young professionals, support budding entrepreneurs, and inspire future leaders. Our graduates drive North Carolina’s thriving economy. Their leadership helps the state navigate a constantly evolving economic landscape.
More students than ever are studying and researching in fields vital to our economy. In the last five years, we have seen a 24-percent increase in the number of undergraduate or graduate degrees in health sciences. Growth in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) has been even more impressive: the UNC System awarded 30 percent more degrees in STEM in 2018-19 than five years earlier.
These valuable degrees help our graduates find pathways into rewarding careers. The deep pool of talent coming out of the UNC System keeps North Carolina’s businesses competitive in the global economy.
Research That Generates Economic Growth
Our institutions generate more than just talent. Healthcare and high tech industries thrive in North Carolina, thanks in part to the groundbreaking research and technology transfer taking place at UNC System universities. In fiscal year 2019, the System as a whole brought in over $1.65 billion in sponsored research from government, industry, and private philanthropy. This represented a 23 percent increase over 2013. That research resulted in 126 new patents, 83 start-up companies, and $13 million in licensing income.
North Carolina’s $12 billion agriculture sector is the eighth largest in the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Economic Research Service. UNC System extension work and engagement supports this vital component of the NC economy, helping local farmers improve their yields. Other engagement efforts help North Carolina’s small businesses expand their sales.
Our expertise is readily accessible to entrepreneurs, businesses, and industry, making the UNC System indispensable to North Carolina’s efforts to remain an attractive economic partner of choice.
Higher Education … An Investment That Pays for Itself
In short, the UNC System is one of North Carolina’s greatest assets. It spurs innovation, attracts startups, and trains workers for jobs in growth areas within the state. The System helps generate economic investments and business partnerships. This plays a critical role in attracting new businesses, creating more jobs, and expanding North Carolina’s tax base.
County Fact Sheets
View the economic impact generated by the UNC System on a county level for each of North Carolina’s 100 counties.