UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Investing in Research, Innovation, and Health for North Carolinians
The Challenge
To meet updated University Cancer Research Fund (UCRF) reporting requirements and demonstrate its growing role in statewide research and innovation, UNC Lineberger needed an independent economic impact study. The goal was to quantify how its operations, research activities, and spin-off ventures contribute to North Carolina’s economy, workforce, and public health.
How We Helped
UNC Lineberger retained Tripp Umbach in 2022 to analyze the economic impact of the UCRF’s investment on North Carolina’s biomedical sector, both for the current year and over the past decade. The study measured direct, indirect, and induced impacts as well as employment and tax effects tied to UCRF-funded research and operations.
Tripp Umbach found that UCRF funding generated more than $740 million in total economic impact for North Carolina in 2022, supporting over 3,500 jobs statewide through direct, indirect, and induced effects. The program also contributed $23.4 million in local and state tax revenue that year.
Since its inception, UCRF investments have delivered exponential returns—growing from a three-to-one return in its early years to nearly twelve dollars in economic benefit for every dollar invested today. Beyond economic gains, the fund continues to strengthen North Carolina’s biomedical research ecosystem, advance patient care, and secure a healthier future for communities across the state.