Is university-based research an economic driver for the region?
Long term, the types of things we are doing here have potential to offer new product opportunities, new company opportunities. Maybe in the 20- to 40-year horizon, perhaps we would develop a research program here that would be so strong it would create a new sector. These are things we have to work on over a very long period of time. That’s one reason that we as a university make an investment in this research partnership and research-development activity. We can take a look at other universities, other research organizations around the country and around the world and see they can have a long-term economic impact on development. Maybe medium term, we think that by engaging with business partners we can offer a better and a different educational opportunity for the students that come to UNC Charlotte. Nearer term, we know that in creating an environment around the university that values entrepreneurship and innovation, we’ll attract the very best faculty. Many research-based companies
