Business-Academia Partnership Program
The North Carolina Collaboratory, headquartered at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is awarding 11 research and development grants through a new competitive Business-Academia Partnership Program to help address the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19 in North Carolina.
Supported by a $15,000,000 appropriation made by the North Carolina General Assembly, the research program aims to foster and strengthen partnerships between businesses and academic research groups to transform applied research and innovation into technological solutions for the benefit of public health and the economy in the state.
Business Partner | Academic Partner | Total funding | Project title and summary |
---|---|---|---|
Chimerix Inc. | Mark Heise, UNC-Chapel Hill | $2,000,000 | Title: Identification and Development of a Broad-Spectrum, Easy-to-Use, Well-Tolerated COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment.
Summary: Building on past work, this project seeks to optimize a new anti-viral drug, CMX521, for oral administration to treat COVID-19. |
Codetta Bio Inc. | Deepak Kumar, North Carolina Central University | $2,000,000 | Title: Multi-omic solution for determination of COVID and long-COVID infections and severity.
Summary: Creating new technology for detecting a variety of respiratory diseases and measuring biomarkers to improve research, diagnosis and clinical care for COVID-19 |
EmitBio Inc. | Scott Randell, UNC-Chapel Hill | $2,000,000 | Title: Validation of the RD-X19 COVID Treatment Device toward Regulatory Approval and Commercialization.
Summary: Building on past work to verify and validate a new handheld device designed for home treatment of COVID-19. |
Inhalon Biopharma, Inc. | Sam Lai, UNC-Chapel Hill | $2,000,000 | Title: Developing IN-007 as an Inhaled Treatment Against Pathogens Utilizing Human ACE2 for Viral Attachment and Entry.
Summary: Advancing ongoing research towards clinical trials for a new broad-spectrum antiviral drug capable of neutralizing current and future COVID-19 variants. |
Vast Therapeutics, Inc. | Li Yang, East Carolina University | $1,200,000 | Title: Investigation of proprietary NO releasing prodrug and its effects on COVID related inflammation to prevent long-term lung damage.
Summary: Advancing ongoing work to develop a water-soluble prodrug that can be inhaled to stop tissue inflammation and subsequent lung damage. |
Halyard North Carolina, LLC | Hooman Tafreshi, NC State University | $1,000,000 | Title: Next generation respirators
Summary: Developing new manufacturing methods to create ultra-breathable material for masks and other personal protective equipment |
Kimberly-Clark Global Sales, LLC | Hooman Tafreshi, NC State University | $1,000,000 | Title: Smart Manufacturing of PPE and HVAC Filters.
Summary: Leveraging machine learning to enhance manufacturing processes for highly breathable personal protective equipment and HVAC filters. |
SAS Institute Inc. | Matthew Wolfgang, UNC-Chapel Hill | $1,000,000 | Title: Machine learning enabled personalized medicine to improve severe COVID-19 outcomes.
Summary: Studying molecular and health record date of COVID-19 patients to develop predictive models for guiding clinical care. |
Institute of Digital Engineering USA | Joong-Lyul Lee, UNC Pembroke | $600,000 | Title: Using machine learning and digital engineering to predict rapid thrombosis in COVID-19 patients.
Summary: Developing cutting edge models of blood fluid dynamics to improve the understanding and treatment of thrombotic complications such as blood clots in COVID-19 patients. |
NanoDiagnostic Technology, LLC | Terry Xu, UNC Charlotte | $600,000 | Title: On-Mask Covalent Capture and Detection of SARS-CoV-2.
Summary: Developing new strategies and detection methods by advancing mask filtration technology and viral assays. |
National Institute of Minority Economic Development | Bruce Rich, UNC Greensboro | $600,000 | Title: Addressing disparities in homeownership exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Summary: Establishing a new training and technical assistance program with local, small and mid-sized minority-owned businesses to improve affordable housing options and create a pipeline of low and middle-income buyers. |