The North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) and agency partners conduct program inventories, research evidence reviews, and benefit-cost analyses through the Results First Initiative. In 2022, the state published project briefs with findings and next steps in the areas of juvenile justice and adult mental health. The state has also created evidence definitions to categorize programs based on their levels of evidence.    

The Office of Strategic Partnerships (OSP) launched the NC Project Portal, an innovative tool for developing and launching partnerships with government and for bolstering cross-sector collaboration. The portal includes information about opportunities for partnering with state agencies on their research needs and how to express interest in pursuing those opportunities. It includes 25+ projects that are open, in-progress, or completed as well as  project deliverables and information about the planned use of results where applicable.

In 2022, the Governor issued Recommended Budget Adjustments for FY 2022-2023. Several recommendations prioritized shifting dollars towards resources or human power proven to make governmental operations more efficient. The following recommendation was funded in the most recent budget (signed July 11): Establish four State Crime Laboratory positions (within the NC Department of Justice) – two DNA scientists and two drug chemists. Research conducted by the department demonstrated that, on average, each new scientist reduces turnaround time for cases by 5%; thus, four new scientists are expected to reduce turnaround times by 20%.