The office is responsible for identifying, supporting, and enhancing the commercialization of technologies and solutions from the UNCW Community. The OIC serves five general functions:
To disseminate the results of intellectual discovery and creative endeavor in order to maximize the impact of UNCW's innovation assets via commercialization.
As part of its mission for teaching excellence, scholarship and artistic achievement, and service, UNCW is dedicated to the transfer of its research and technology to the public sector for the general economic benefit of the coastal region in which it is located and for the rest of North Carolina. UNCW is recognized as a high research activity institution (R2).
UNCW's technology transfer office, the Office of Innovation and Commercialization, assists in incubating the research culture needed for continued success. The Office of Innovation and Commercialization provides this service for the UNCW by working closely with the Research Foundation, Intellectual Property Committee, Innovation Advisory Council, faculty, and staff to evaluate commercial opportunities and to provide counsel regarding patents, licensing, and copyrights.