Economic Development officials announced plans to have ongoing meetings with educators and business representatives to bring together biotechnology resources throughout North Carolina's northeast region and to develop a plan for future development of a viable industry in plant-made biotechnology.
Organized by North Carolina's Northeast Commission and the Eastern Office of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, the mission of the Northeast Biotechnology Task Force is to build on the strengths of the research work conducted by scientists at North Carolina State University's Vernon James Research, the Extension Center in Roper, and East Carolina and Elizabeth City State universities.
At a recent meeting, the group developed plans for moving plant-made biotech research from the universities to farms and businesses in North Carolina's northeast region.
"Our region has tremendous assets in agriculture, manufacturing, land, and workforce," said Vann Rogerson, President/CEO of North Carolina's Northeast Commission. "By working collaboratively and bringing together all of the resources in the region, we can build our biotech niche, diversify our economy, and expand the capacity for good-paying jobs."
Plant-made biotechnology includes biomass for biofuels; plant extracts for nutraceuticals, cosmetics, or functional foods; and ag-biotech for medicinal or therapeutic applications. North Carolina's northeastern region is unique in that the resources of land and farming expertise already exist, and since manufacturing companies prefer to locate near the source of raw materials, the region is perfectly situated for production facilities to locate here.