News & Events


Highlighting unc charlotte as a commercialization & startup leader

Graphic featured in the “Commercializing Charlotte Research” article.

“UNC Charlotte has always had an entrepreneurial mindset,” shared Division of Research Vice Chancellor, Dr. John Daniels, in this Inside Charlotte article that highlights significant strides in research innovation, commercialization, and entrepreneurship designed to address real-life scenarios. Central to this focus is the Division’s Office of Research Commercialization and Partnerships (ORCP) which supports faculty and student inventors by protecting their intellectual property, helping bring their ideas to market, and fostering startup ventures. As ORCP Executive Director Laura Peter shared in the article, UNC Charlotte researchers are “building the technologies of tomorrow.”

With 200+ patent filings and 17 startups in the past five years, UNC Charlotte is proving to be an innovation hive. Click to navigate to the full “Commercializing Charlotte Research” story.

The article also showcases the campus to commerce story of Dr. Jennifer Pagan, Chief Technology Officer of AquiSense and former UNC Charlotte PhD student. You can read her featured story here.


Celebrating a UNC CHARLOTTE RESEARCHER WHOSE INVENTION IS DISINFECTING WATER AROUND THE GLOBE

While a post-doc researcher here at UNC Charlotte, Dr. Jennifer Pagán invented a water disinfection technology using UV-C LED light. Now that system is being used to disinfect water on every continent, and even supplies clean water on the International Space Station.

Dr. Pagán’s revolutionary work has been featured in the Bayh-Dole Coalition’s 2025 “Faces of American Innovation” report – an annual report that honors a prestigious group of researchers, entrepreneurs, and administrators whose groundbreaking work, made possible by the Bayh-Dole Act, has changed the lives of millions in the United States and abroad.

On June 4, Dr. Pagán and four other innovators will receive the 2025 Bayh-Dole Coalition American Innovator Award.


Dr. Pagán’s water disinfection technology using UV-C LED light was also featured in the National Academy of Inventors and the US Patent and Trademark Office “Campus to Commerce” video series.

Explore her journey from a small UNC Charlotte start-up to founder and CTO of the multinational company, AquiSense.

Campus to Commerce thumbnail
Click here for the full story.


strategic planning for the charlotte ai institute

We are excited to announce the launch of the Charlotte AI Institute (CLTAI2) Strategic Planning Committee (SPC). We’d like to share a brief summary of the purpose of the SPC as well as our process for the coming months, and a pathway to provide input.


HONORING UNC CHARLOTTE RESEARCHERS

It was an evening of excitement and recognition at the Leaders in Research Celebration on March 27th, where researchers from across campus were honored as part of UNC Charlotte’s Million Dollar Research Circle. The event also honored the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal awardee for outstanding scholarship, creativity and research among the University’s senior full-time faculty members. You can find more on each of these stories below.


reaching r1: advancing research, elevating impact

UNC Charlotte has achieved the Carnegie R1 designation, placing us in the top tier of ‘very high research’ universities. We are so excited to celebrate the hard work of our entire campus research community, including faculty, staff, students, and our community-industry partners. We’re also excited about positively impacting our communities, region, and the world.



Click for UNC Charlotte's Research Strategic Plan. Discover UNC Charlotte's Division of Research's vision for the future by accessing our comprehensive strategic plan. Click here to explore how they are driving innovation and fostering impactful research initiatives!

RESEARCH NEWS ACROSS CAMPUS

Dr. Susan Trammell, Professor of Physics and Optical Science at the UNC Charlotte Klein College of Science, earned 3rd place with research designed to advance medical technologies and improving patient care worldwide .  Read the full story here.

UNC Charlotte has been invited to submit a full proposal to the U.S. National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program to advance innovation ecosystems across the country.
Read the full story here.

Campus researchers and staff, industry partners, entrepreneurs, and student inventors celebrated collaboration, experiential learning, and real-world impact at the Research and Business Partners Annual Celebration.
Read the full story here.


campus research events