BY THE NUMBERSNORTH CAROLINA IN FY 2011

$179 Million: NSF funds awarded 12th: National ranking in NSF funds

41: NSF-funded institutions650: NSF grants awarded

10: NSF research centers/facilities

EXAMPLES OF NSF-FUNDED RESEARCH IN NORTH CAROLINA

INVESTMENT IN NSF = INVESTMENT IN NORTH CAROLINA INNOVATION

1 NC State University website: http://www.ncsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/.2 NC State University Technology Transfer Annual Report 2010.3 UNC 2011 Research Highlights.

Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) 1527 Eighteenth Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 www.cnsfweb.org

NSF-funded researchers have demonstrated that plant cells activate timed defenses in anticipation of pests. The findings could help farmers predict when plants are most vulnerable to disease attacks, and enable agriculturalists to make efficient use of costly pesticides by applying them when plants need them the most.

In FY 2011, 73 percent of all research funding at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came from the federal government. The same year, technology transfer at the university resulted in 45 licensed inventions, 33 issued patents, and seven start-up companies in FY 2011.3

Duke University received $49.8 million from NSF in FY 2011.

Courtesy: www.research.gov/seeinnovation

THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) is the only federal agency whose mission includes support for all fields of fundamental science and engineering.

“In today’s digital, globally-connected economy, employees with [science, technology, engineering, and math] skills and education are frequently essential to business success.”

-Cynthia Marshall, President of AT&T North Carolina

Past President of the NC Chamber

NSF-supported researchers have developed a novel molecular imaging technique to identify different kinds of cancer cells. The scientists combined light and color to track the path of cancer-causing molecules on the surface of a cell. Their work could lead to improved detection of cancer in its earlier stages as well as more effective treatments.

A new statistical framework developed by NSF-funded researchers can be used in real time to improve the forecasting of hurricane winds and the associated storm surge, enabling better implementation of mitigation strategies that lessen the impacts of these events. The onshore rush of seawater associated with hurricane winds can lead to major losses of property, billions of dollars in damage, and large numbers of fatalities.

Collectively, North Carolina State University (NC State) faculty have earned more than 85 NSF career and presidential awards in the past ten years.1

In FY 2010, NC State engineering and materials science discoveries served as the basis for four new start-up companies, and a total of 50 patents were issued to NC State researchers.2

North Carolina

Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) 1527 Eighteenth Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 www.cnsfweb.org

Since 1952, NSF has supported 42,000 graduate students through research fellowships.

North Carolina received $36.9 million in NSF educational funding in FY 2011.

EXAMPLES OF NSF-FUNDED EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN NORTH CAROLINA

THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) not only funds cutting-edge research at institutions across the country; NSF’s education initiatives ensure the U.S. will remain a global leader in innovation for generations to come.

In a first for a historically black college or university, North Carolina A&T State University has established undergraduate (BS) and graduate degree (MS) programs in bioengineering. With support from NSF, the new programs have attracted strong interest from women and other demographic groups underrepresented in the sciences and engineering.

The NSF-funded Duke Lemur Center (DLC) is a unique research and educational facility devoted to the study and conservation of lemurs. Educational tours of the center are often included in the lesson plans of local and regional science and biology classes. The DLC is actively engaged in educational outreach by offering online resources and collaborating with teachers to develop new science curricula.

High school and middle school teachers participated in a three-week NSF-supported summer class at North Carolina State University in Raleigh to learn molecular biology skills and develop a lab exercise to use in their classrooms.

Courtesy: www.research.gov/seeinnovation

North Carolina

“We all know that to compete effectively in the global economy, North Carolina and the nation desperately need more scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and technology experts. Our UNC campuses are fully engaged in attracting more students to these critical fields and preparing them for successful careers.”

−University of North Carolina System President Tom Ross, JD

“With a history measured in centuries rather than years or decades,…Nobel prize-winning faculty, and a generation of students as intellectually curious and socially committed as any in history, research universities are among the crown jewels of our society.”

−University Entrepreneur in Residence Buck Goldstein, JD & Chancellor Holden Thorp, PhD

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill