OM DENNE EPISODE
Since World War II, federal funding has been the central driver of American scientific research. Recently, a state-based model for research shows how local research could be used to solve local problems.
On this episode, host Lisa Margonelli is joined by Jeffrey Warren, executive director of the North Carolina Collaboratory. About ten years ago, the North Carolina legislature created a way to get answers to policymakers’ questions and to fund research to solve local problems. The Collaboratory contracts with researchers at the state’s universities to do the work. So far, the legislature has allocated more than $300 million to fund 800 research projects on subjects ranging from water pollution to opioid addiction treatment to foster care. The Collaboratory’s model offers a new vision for how science can respond to society’s needs.
Resources:
Visit the North Carolina Collaboratory’s website to learn more about their work.
Check out Jeffrey Warren’s Issues pieces for more on the Collaboratory's unique model of bipartisan problem solving.
“Science for Hyper-Partisan Times” (2021).
“Research That Solves North Carolina’s Problems” (2026), co-authored with Blair Ellis Rhoades.
