Why Applied Research Matters: Turning Industry Opportunities & Challenges into Competitive Advantage
By Kelly Baird, Director of the South Carolina Fraunhofer USA Alliance at SC Competes
I have lived in Greenville, South Carolina long enough to have seen some phenomenal evolution. From our thriving downtown development right here in the Upstate to our statewide advancements across new emerging technologies, South Carolina continues to thrive.
Our own SC Logistics Economic Impact Study foresaw South Carolina’s exploding population growth – projected to be 22.5% increase by 2040 (and ever-increasing by the day!) – that puts us #2 in population growth in the Southeast. Additionally, companies are creating, expanding, and investing in jobs across the state. According to the SC Department of Commerce, in 2025 alone, South Carolina announced $9.12 billion in capital investment and more than 8,100 new jobs.
Maintaining that momentum requires more than attracting new investment. It requires helping the companies already here continue to innovate, solve complex problems, and remain competitive in industries that are changing rapidly.
That’s why applied research matters, and that’s where the SC Fraunhofer USA Alliance (the Alliance) steps in.
The Alliance is a collaborative initiative managed by SC Competes, matching research funding from the SC Department of Commerce with R&D expertise from South Carolina’s colleges and universities alongside the Fraunhofer USA global network of institutes to make applied research more accessible and more affordable for SC industry.
Applied research differs from basic research, which is conducted primarily to expand scientific knowledge. Applied research begins with a specific, real-world problem and focuses on developing practical, achievable solutions.
For an advanced manufacturer, that challenge might involve developing novel technology to improve automation and worker safety, evaluate a new material, increase product quality, reduce waste, or find a more efficient production process.
For a life sciences company, it could involve developing or validating a new technology, conducting pre-clinical research, improving the bench-to-bedside process, solving a technical bottleneck, or accessing specialized scientific expertise that does not exist internally.
Across all industries, companies are confronting increasingly-sophisticated technical questions. New materials, automation, digital technologies, energy requirements, and rapidly evolving scientific capabilities are changing how products are developed and how facilities operate.
These are important challenges, but they may not fit neatly into a company’s normal operations. Internal engineering or R&D teams have immediate priorities. Hiring specialized expertise for a single problem may not make sense, and investing in new technology before understanding whether it will work can introduce significant cost and risk.
The Alliance has created an alternative path.
The Alliance gives SC companies the ability to work with both local and global researchers and technical experts to solve a challenge, test an idea, develop an innovation, diversify their operation, or move promising solutions closer to implementation. With the help of Alliance project funding and expertise, companies have a dedicated team of R&D experts working on their behalf, at approximately half the cost.
We often encourage companies to think of the Alliance as another resource in their innovation toolbox. Although you may already have an excellent engineering, operations or R&D team, a targeted Alliance research project team can help extend and amplify those capabilities more efficiently and effectively.
The Alliance can give your company access to specialized researchers, equipment, and expertise. It can help you explore an idea before committing significant resources to it. And, it can create connections between industry and South Carolina’s research institutions that may continue well beyond a single project.
For companies in advanced manufacturing and life sciences especially, significant untapped opportunities may exist to use applied research this way.
You do not need to know which university to call.
You do not need to know which researcher or center specializes in your problem.
You do not need to have the solution already mapped out.
You just need a challenge worth solving.
If your company is facing a technical challenge, evaluating a new technology or looking for a better way to develop a product or improve a process, I would welcome the opportunity to talk.
Reach out to me and tell me what your team is trying to solve. It may be the beginning of our next Alliance applied research project.