About Research for Me @UNC

the old well at UNC-Chapel Hill

We are the open door to research opportunities at UNC! 

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is proud to be one of America’s top research universities; our researchers are dedicated to learning more about the topics that are important to you and to making a difference in the lives of North Carolinians and beyond.  We can’t do it alone.  Every day, people just like you are discovering ways to partner with UNC researchers to make a difference! 

We know that it's sometimes difficult to find research that is relevant to you and near you, and we want to make it simpler to connect you with studies you’re passionate about.  Here, we’ve put the power in your hands and opportunities at your fingertips!  Learn what it means to participate, ask questions, get inspired, find studies, connect with researchers, and so much more. 

Every person in every study makes a difference; thank you for taking time out of your day to explore how you can get involved.

Welcome to Research for Me @UNC!

Our Mission & Goals

To create a common resource and improve the transparency of human subjects research by UNC investigators and at UNC Health.  

To educate the public about participating in research and help connect people to research that matters to them. 

UNC Research at a Glance

Since UNC’s beginnings, we have been dedicated to understanding ourselves and the world around us. Every year, UNC-Chapel Hill conducts over $1 billion in funded research and 62% of all UNC System research. UNC is home to over 50 research centers and institutes, 5 on-campus hospitals which are the anchor within the statewide UNC Health System and is one of the three corners of North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park.  Beyond Chapel Hill, our researchers are doing groundbreaking work with the potential to change lives in all 100 NC counties and across over 150 countries. Much of this research could not be done without your help. 

Research Priorities

While we are doing research on many topics, there are six areas that UNC is particularly interested in making a difference.

Funding

Funding for our research studies and clinical trials comes from a number of different places and depends a lot on the topic and the type of research.  Some of our medical research is funded by industry sponsors (like pharmaceutical companies), but the majority of our research here at UNC is actually supported by Federal money from places like the National Institutes for Health and the National Science Foundation. 

Discovery

What kinds of things have been discovered by UNC research?  With more than 200 years of research under its belt, Carolina houses an ever-growing list of discoveries and inventions, many of which span several decades.  Visit our Discover page to browse a timeline of Carolina research and read about some of our most notable discoveries.

Impact

Read more about the impact of UNC Research. 

21st

most cited university in the world as ranked by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR, 2018)

839

U.S. patents awarded to UNC (UNC Office of Commercialization & Economic Development, 2018)

11,089

UNC employees funded by UNC Research (UNC Research, 2018)

UNC and the UNC Health System

Research for Me @UNC allows you to search all studies that are enrolling (or will soon be enrolling) participants, and which are being done by UNC or UNC Health System researchers.  The studies listed here have all been approved by UNC’s Office of Human Research Ethics and Institutional Review Board, whose job it is to protect the rights and welfare of research participants.

These studies might be actually done anywhere in the state, or the world, but who are we talking about when we say UNC and UNC Health System researchers? 

UNC-Chapel Hill:  Researchers with studies listed on this site may come from:

UNC Health System

The partnering of UNC Health network hospitals with UNC Research allows researchers in Chapel Hill the opportunity to seek research volunteers in many areas of the state, and patients in areas formerly limited by distance the opportunity to participate on UNC research studies and clinical trials at facilities close to home.

Research being done at UNC Medical Center will be listed on this site.  The other hospitals and networks affiliated with UNC may have research listed on this site – we are always working to expand access, making research opportunities available across the state.

NC TraCS

The North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute (NC TraCS) is an organization at UNC Chapel Hill dedicated to helping researchers realize their ideas, conduct their research and get their discoveries into the hands of the people and communities who will most benefit from the research.  We are funded primarily by a Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health (specifically, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences).  UNC-Chapel Hill is one of 60 institutions nationwide to have such an Institute. 

For over a decade, we have been working not just to support researchers, but also to build relationships with patients, the public, and our communities across the state in support of research partnership and discovery.  Research for Me @UNC is an initiative of NC TraCS intended to improve the public’s knowledge of, access to, and interest in our research. 

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Copyright © 2013-2022 The NC TraCS Institute, the integrated home of the NIH Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program at UNC-CH.  This website is made possible by CTSA Grant UL1TR002489 and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.

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