The University of North Carolina School of Law and its Institute for Innovation have access to the Innovate Carolina Junction, a hub for creative endeavors developed by Carolina Law alum Clay Grubb.
Led by UNC’s Innovate Carolina initiative, the 20,000-square-foot space on E. Rosemary Street is meant to bridge academia and enterprise beyond campus.
Dedric Carter, UNC’s chief innovation officer who is overseeing the development of the hub, said having the law school’s clinics in the space represents an advancement in collaborative efforts for entrepreneurial pursuits.
At the hub, the Carolina Law’s Institute for Innovation consists of three legal clinics to assist innovators on matters fundamental to launching and sustaining ventures.
Startup NC Law Clinic advises for profit startups, entrepreneurs and small businesses across a broad spectrum of North Carolina industries.
Community Development Law Clinic advises social entrepreneurs who seek to bring about positive social change by forming and qualifying tax-exempt nonprofit organizations.
Intellectual Property Clinic assists individuals and small businesses with trademark and copyright clearance, protection, and contractual matters that affect intellectual property rights.
Students recently helped establish Feed-Well Fridges, a nonprofit expanding food access by placing filled refrigerators in underserved areas. By structuring proper legal frameworks, the clinic enabled its founder’s ideas to launch as an operational tax-exempt venture driving community change.
Such opportunities anchor students alongside entrepreneurs, as technology transfer and resulting growth rely heavily on legal expertise.
“Law is integral to innovation,” said Aaron Gard, director of Carolina Law’s Institute for Innovation. “We aim to fill this role and prepare students to thereafter participate across influential intersections shaping society.”
This forward focus develops local ties so that new ideas sustain and thrive locally instead of relocating.
Students, faculty, founders and neighbors now connect in shared spaces at the hub, mutually advancing academic promise and community prosperity.
