2026 TRANSLATING INNOVATIVE IDEAS FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD AWARDS (TIIP)

Letters of Interest Accepted March 2nd – March 23rd, 2026

Check back to this site to complete application form

 

AWARD DESCRIPTION

Innovate Carolina's unit of Design and Innovation for the Public Good is investing in innovative projects with the clear goals of co-creating, testing, and scaling desirable, feasible, and viable human centered solutions. The Translating Innovative Ideas for the Public Good (TIIP) Awards are open to any UNC faculty, staff, or venture that is developing an idea, project, or company that will translate the University's best ideas to benefit the state of North Carolina and beyond. Changemakers, investigators, entrepreneurs, and community engaged researchers from any discipline and in both not for profit and for-profit models are encouraged to apply. 

 

DEFINITIONS

Human-Centered Design: An innovative process that emphasizes the human experience and co-creation to generate and test desirable, feasible, and viable solutions

Innovations for the Public Good: New ideas, products, and ventures that address challenging and pressing problems that all parties agree improve well-being and provide societal or commercial benefit to the people of the state of North Carolina and beyond.  

 

ANTICIPATED FUNDING LEVELS

It is anticipated that three to four awards ranging from $25,000 - $50,000 for a one-year project period between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027 will be funded. While there are no limits on the proposed budget amount, all budgets should be well aligned with the project scope, methods, and timeline.

 

TIMELINE

February 25      Application Information Session 4:00-5:00pm

March 2            Portal open for Letters of Intent  

March 23          Letters of Intent due

~April 7            Invitations for full proposals                 

April 24            Full proposal applications due

~May 15           Award Notifications

 

Click HERE for a description of the FY25 cohort of TIIP Awardees

 

Letters of Interest will be accepted at this location between March 2 and March 23, 2026. 

For more information contact:

Bill Romani, PT, PhD, Director of Design and Innovation for the Public Good at wromani@unc.edu

 

CRITERIA

Proposals from researchers, changemakers, entrepreneurs, or community engaged scholars from any discipline and in both not for profit and for-profit models that take novel approaches to address at least (5) of the following criteria are encouraged:

·        Project designs that demonstrate a human centered process of co-creation and/or opportunities to integrate user or community insights into the design and testing of an idea, tool, technology, or device. Post creation user testing does not meet the criteria of human centered design or co-creation.

·        The ability to advance early-stage higher risk ideas through a clear plan of human centered testing and prototyping.

·        Potential to scale human centered solutions to communities and populations throughout the state of North Carolina and beyond.

·        Ideas that are desirable (people want or need it), feasible (can be created or scaled with new or existing means or technology), and viable (are sustainable over time).

·        Teams and/or collaborators with the required skills and experience to execute the project,

·        Clear, measurable definitions of societal, community, or economic benefits of the project

·        Establishment or expansion of public and private community partnerships that inform and advance the creation and/or scaling of the project.

·        Potential of sustainability and continued scale beyond the funded project period.

·        Development of University of North Carolina based intellectual property that may improve public health or general well-being.  Applicants and projects that are based on existing or emerging companies, technology, or intellectual property that are housed outside of UNC or not eligible.

 

APPLICATION PROCESS

The TIIP application process will include two stages.  Letters of Interest will be due on March 23rd.  Applicants chosen to provide a full application will be notified on approximately April 7^th and full applications will be due on April 24^th. In addition to providing more detailed justification, methods, and budget, the full applications will provide an opportunity for applicants to respond to specific queries from the Award Committee. 

 

1.      Short description or abstract of the proposed project. (100 words)

2.      What is the human-centered problem or challenge question that your proposed project will attempt to address? (This can be your hypothesis.) (50 words)

3.      Introduction to the challenge or problem being addressed. (300 words)

4.      Please list the top 2-3 aims or goals of your project. Under each aim, briefly explain your study design and/or plan to address each aim/goal and how doing so will address your stated problem or challenge question using a human centered framework (hypothesis). (300 words)

5.      List established community partners or your plan to engage potential users, consumers, or beneficiaries who will help inform and develop the ideas and methods that will address your problem or challenge question. (150 words)

6.      How will Innovate Carolina's investment and ongoing support of this project lead to scale and/or longer-term sustainability of the idea, solution, or venture? (200 words)

7.      Requested Award Amount.

8.      Please include an itemized budget with short (1-line) descriptions of how the funds will address the challenge or problem. Examples of acceptable costs include materials, consulting for human centered design, prototype development, co-creation, justified administrative support, recruitment, etc. Salary support for primary project team members is not allowable. (150 words)