Roadmap will propel Carolina’s research enterprise

Carolina’s position as a global research leader is poised to reach even greater heights — including reaching $2 billion in research activity by 2034 — with the launch of the Research Roadmap, a new strategic plan developed by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.

The plan, launched in May, aims to drive research growth and innovation and transform the research ecosystem to be nimbler and more accessible. Ultimately, it will accelerate the University’s impact on the state, the country and the world.

The Well asked Penny Gordon-Larsen, vice chancellor for research, about the Roadmap.

What are the goals of the Roadmap and what spurred its creation?

With the Research Roadmap, we will make even greater achievements in curing and preventing diseases, accelerating environmental resilience, generating new knowledge, and finding ways to improve society. The plan starts at our current state of excellence and accelerates growth by prioritizing strategic investments to: drive cutting-edge research, build on our unique strengths, advance strategic areas of growth, pursue more high-risk, high-reward opportunities and propel impact-oriented research so we can serve more citizens.

The Roadmap was developed through an inclusive process through which we gathered insights from stakeholders across the University, along with data from a campus-wide survey and group discussions. After analyzing all the data, we created this campus-level strategy to leverage our incredible research potential for greater impact.

How will it benefit those who conduct research?

We are investing in state-of-the-art facilities, equipment and data assets to support cutting-edge research in strategic priority areas. By improving our processes for translation, clinical research and community-engaged research, we will accelerate the time it takes for research discoveries to benefit society.

Carolina has the best researchers in the world, and we need to ensure they have the support they need to continue excelling in their fields. To this end, we are making research support and compliance more efficient so we can be nimbler and more entrepreneurial. And we are cultivating a research ecosystem that encourages creativity, risk-taking and interdisciplinary collaboration.

By making a greater positive impact on the world, we’re solidifying our reputation as a world-class leader in research and education for the public good.

What have we achieved in the early months of the Roadmap’s rollout?

We’ve already had a few wins to celebrate with the launch. We’re currently working on the design of a new Translational Research Building and plan to break ground on construction this fall. In partnership with the NC Collaboratory, we funded the largest set of Creativity Hubs projects. We launched a new Institute for Risk Management and Insurance Innovation, which will bring together investigators from multiple disciplines to address the financial risks arising from a growing number of threats to our state and beyond, ranging from extreme weather to cybersecurity. We also launched the Research Data Management Core to maximize Carolina’s data assets. We launched a new Catalyst Faculty Research Cluster Program with the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost to recruit top faculty talent to campus to accelerate strategic priority research areas. Additionally, we’ve updated our NC Research Impact Map, which showcases how the University’s research touches every part of North Carolina.

Our working groups have developed goals and deliverables for the Roadmap’s priorities and imperatives. Once we finalize these goals, they will be available on our Roadmap website.

Visit the Research Roadmap website for more information on each of the plan’s initiatives, progress updates and working group members.