UNC, State Benefit When Schools Work Together

"The days of a single faculty member receiving funding and holing himself up in an office with a computer are long gone," said Tim Carey, director of the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at UNC-CH, which often works jointly with other institutions.

It is difficult to estimate how much of UNC-CH's research is gathered in conjunction with other universities, but Tony Waldrop, vice chancellor for research, said he thinks it is a considerable amount. UNC has worked with most research universities in the country, Waldrop said.

Some of the University's most common partners are located in North Carolina, including Duke University, N.C. State University, N.C. Central University and Winston-Salem State University, he said.

When UNC-CH partners with other N.C. institutions, the research yields large amounts of money that flow through the state's economy, said Michael Luger, director of the Office of Economic Development.

"The important thing about the research budget is most external funding comes from outside the state," he said. "The most valuable dollars are those brought into the state and multiplied by the state."

The money cycles through the state's economy as programs spend money on salaries, supplies and technology, Luger said. "There is more money in (consumers') pockets to spend on food, housing and transportation," he said. "And a lot of that, most of that, is spent in North Carolina."

The amount of money available to be dispersed through the state's economy increases when UNC-CH collaborates with other in-state universities, Luger said.

"(Combined) reputation and a combination of resources lets us collectively compete for grants that we otherwise would not have gotten," he said. "(Collaboration) makes it much more attractive to funders."

Despite the far-reaching financial benefits that joint research programs offer to North Carolina, the state has been forced to cut funding to the University because of persistent budget shortfalls.

If the quality of faculty or facilities are compromised by slashed state funding, funding for all research, including joint programs, might fall, Luger said.

"Cutting the University is self-defeating," he said. "It makes us less competitive in an increasingly competitive world."

Joint research at UNC-CH remains strong despite the state's financial problems, allowing in-state partnerships to perform research that can lead to improved social conditions in the state, Waldrop said.

UNC-CH, because of the emphasis it places on research, sometimes can neglect community interaction, Carey said. Joint research helps avoid such neglect. "Some universities are research-intensive, some are community-intensive," he said. "Combining different strengths makes more effective interventions."

Links between research universities have produced projects such as the Center for Innovation in Health Disparity Research. The program will allow UNC-CH, N.C. Central and WSSU to examine state health care problems.

As research programs between N.C. universities continue to expand, the participating universities will provide a better academic climate that better prepares students for the future, Carey said.

"It is important for students to see how research is conducted in collaborative ways because that is the future of research," he said. "Those different perspectives make for better research."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.