The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) wrapped up its two-day Life Science: Fusing Science, Technology & Industry Leadership conference in Raleigh, yesterday, sending nearly 1000 participants home buzzing with the latest industry news and developments.
Held in collaboration with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and the N.C. Biosciences Organization, the event brought together top industry leaders to present perspectives on funding, strategic innovation and industry outlooks. An Emerging Company Showcase included companies in the biopharma and medtech sectors. The event also included nearly 250 one-on-one partnering meetings between North Carolina companies and large pharmaceutical companies from outside of the state as part of the N.C. Biotech Partnering 2012.
N.C. Biotechnology Center Board Chairman John Atkins III, FAIA praises North Carolina’s deliberate approach toward biotechnology during the 2012 Life Sciences conference at the Raleigh Convention Center.
The Research Triangle area, anchored by Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, contributes greatly to the state’s status as third largest biotechnology hub in the nation. Recent announcements of grant awards, industry investments, company site selections and expansions and job creation demonstrate North Carolina’s prominence as a biotechnology sector leader.
BASF Plant Science, a division of BASF headquartered in Limburgerhof, Germany, announced this week it will expand, adding office, laboratory and greenhouse space to a facility in Research Triangle Park (RTP). This announcement comes on the heels of an earlier one detailing its decision to relocate its headquarters to RTP.
Neuronex, a Morrisville company that is focused on drugs that treat Central Nervous System (CNS) diseases and disorders, announced a multi-million-dollar merger agreement with New York-based Acorda. Neuronex is the recipient of two N.C. Biotech loans totaling nearly $500,000.
In 2011, Syngenta selected RTP over sites on other continents for a new research complex. More recently, Marken LLP, a global life sciences materials distributor, selected Durham for its new headquarters office.
According to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, biotechnology creates $64B in economic activity for the state, resulting in over a quarter of a million jobs in North Carolina. Other industry leaders operating in the area include Bayer Crop Science, Biogen IDEC, GlaxoSmithKline, LabCorp, Merck & Co., Novartis, Pfizer Animal Health Division and Quintiles. North Carolina offers the industry a strong research and development infrastructure, which includes top-rated universities, a thriving community of companies, a highly-skilled workforce and low business costs.