The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is a non-profit, public-private partnership organization located in
Research Triangle Park
Research Triangle Park (RTP) is the largest research park in the United States, occupying in North Carolina and hosting more than 300 companies and 65,000 workers.
The facility is named for its location relative to the three surrounding cities ...
(
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, United States). Founded in 1984 by the
North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...
, it was the first state-sponsored biotechnology initiative in the United States, merging the interests of the academic private and public sectors. The North Carolina Biotechnology Center's mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina through support of biotechnology research, business, education and strategic policy. It receives nearly all of its funding from the North Carolina General Assembly.
Since 1984, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center has invested more than $187 million in state monies to develop
biotechnology
Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...
statewide. It is not a site for laboratory research or company incubation, but it works to strengthen the research capabilities of North Carolina's companies and universities.
Locations
The permanent headquarters of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in
Research Triangle Park
Research Triangle Park (RTP) is the largest research park in the United States, occupying in North Carolina and hosting more than 300 companies and 65,000 workers.
The facility is named for its location relative to the three surrounding cities ...
is a hub for work, learning, and interaction. The buildings encompass and is divided into three main parts:
*A program-management center housing about 70 staff members;
*A full-service biotechnology library, open to the public; and
*The Hamner Conference Center.
In addition to its
Research Triangle Park
Research Triangle Park (RTP) is the largest research park in the United States, occupying in North Carolina and hosting more than 300 companies and 65,000 workers.
The facility is named for its location relative to the three surrounding cities ...
headquarters, the Center has five regional offices across the state:
*Eastern North Carolina (
Greenville)
*Greater Charlotte (
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
)
*Piedmont Triad (
Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...
)
*Southeastern North Carolina (
Wilmington)
*Western North Carolina (
Asheville
Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...
)
Goals
The North Carolina Biotechnology Center works toward six goals:
# Strengthen North Carolina's academic and industrial biotechnology research capabilities.
# Foster North Carolina's biotechnology industrial development.
# Work with business, government and academia to move biotechnology from research to commercialization in North Carolina.
# Inform North Carolinians about the science, applications, benefits and issues of biotechnology.
# Enhance the teaching and workforce-training capabilities of North Carolina's educational institutions.
# Establish North Carolina as a preeminent international location for the biotechnology industry.
History
In 1981, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center was created by the North Carolina General Assembly. At that time, the state's General Assembly appointed a legislative study commission to determine how North Carolina could ensure long-term economic benefits from biotechnology. A yearlong study by the commission concluded that North Carolina needed a private, non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to biotechnology development.
Following that recommendation, state legislatures established the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in October 1984 as the world's first government-sponsored biotechnology center.
The first president of the N.C. Biotechnology Center was Leon Golberg, previously head of the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology in RTP.
[Basinger, Randy. "Biotechnology: 'New' Science Growing in the Park." North Carolina Beacon, 13 Jan. 1994: 7]
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Organizations based in North Carolina
Research institutes in North Carolina
Biological research institutes in the United States