Debate Continues on UNC Overhead

RALEIGH — Last year, the UNC system received $123.6 million in “overhead receipts” from research grants. That money is given on top of the actual grant amount and is intended to defray administrative and institutional costs. Those are costs, however, that the General Assembly has already covered with tax dollars. Thus the overhead receipts stand out as a recoverable pot of money to legislators, especially during a tight budget season. Not so fast, say university lobbyists. They paint a picture of future irrelevance of the UNC system if they are forced to give back some of their overhead.