Strategic Partnerships NCGrowth is an economic development center affiliated with UNC Chapel Hill and operates nationally with cross-sector convenings and collaboration across universities, hospitals, governments, and anchor institutions. This presents opportunities to offer tailored technical assistance, policy design support, and procurement optimization services to expand supplier diversity and anchor institution sourcing from distressed communities.

Procurement Enablement A core focus is increasing procurement from firms in economically distressed communities, including minority-owned and rural suppliers. There is a potential to upsell vendor development programs, supplier diversity consulting, and procurement analytics to UNC System partners and other anchor institutions seeking to bolster inclusive sourcing.

Education & Training UNC Growth supports workforce development and capacity building through workshops, field trips, and conferences. There is demand for expanded curricula, online modules, and custom training programs for social services, public sector workforce development, and leadership programs that can be offered to universities, municipalities, and states.

Public Sector Innovation Recent activity highlights in AI literacy projects, public service leadership, and social work education indicate a willingness to partner on technology adoption, data-driven policy, and digital transformation initiatives. This opens doors for AI readiness assessments, data governance consulting, and digital equity programs with state and local governments.

Thought Leadership & Outreach NCGrowth’s national scope, applied research, and convenings point to opportunities for sponsored research partnerships, policy impact studies, and executive roundtables. Sales prospects include research collaboration, sponsored events, and advisory services for other universities, hospitals, and regional economic development agencies seeking evidence-based guidance.