RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Sept. 9, 2005 -- The North Carolina Biotechnology Center will establish two new regional offices in Greenville and Wilmington to help develop biotechnology throughout Eastern North Carolina. The Southeastern Office in Wilmington will be dedicated on Monday, Oct. 10, and the Eastern Office in Greenville will be dedicated on Tuesday, Oct. 11.
"I'm from Eastern North Carolina, and I know the great value and potential of biotechnology in our region," said former North Carolina Gov. James B. Hunt Jr., one of several leaders in the region who have embraced the offices. "Having started the Biotechnology Center when I was governor, I am thrilled that the Center is establishing offices in Greenville and Wilmington."
Regional offices are a major part of the Biotechnology Center's Project to Strengthen Biotechnology Across North Carolina, aimed at boosting biotechnology resources, opportunities and job creation in regions statewide. The Eastern and Southeastern Offices will join two offices established in the last two years: the Piedmont Triad Office in Winston-Salem and the Western Office in Asheville.
"Biotechnology offers extraordinary economic and social benefits for Eastern North Carolina in coming years," said Leslie Alexandre, president and CEO of the Biotechnology Center. "Working with regional partners to deliver those benefits is sound strategy for the Biotechnology Center and follows the recommendations of New Jobs Across North Carolina: A Strategic Plan for Growing the Economy Statewide through Biotechnology."
The small regional offices, each to consist of a director and an assistant, will help institutions, schools and agencies to identify area needs, goals, and niche capabilities; draw on the programs and activities of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center; and develop regional Advisory Committees. These activities will work for increased biotechnology companies, jobs and economic gain.
Both new offices represent significant partnerships with universities, governments and economic development agencies, which have contributed financial and in-kind resources as well as office space. "The support verifies the importance of biotechnology to area institutions and affirms their interest in working as partners with the Biotechnology Center," said W. Steven Burke, senior vice president of corporate affairs and director of the Project to Strengthen Biotechnology Across North Carolina.
The Eastern Office in Greenville has gained lead support from East Carolina University through the Chancellor's Office, the Brody School of Medicine, the Business School, and the Office of the Provost. Additional support has been contributed by the Pitt County Development Commission, the Pitt County Committee of 100, the City of Greenville, Pitt Community College, and North Carolina's Eastern Region Partnership.
The Southeastern Office in Wilmington has gained lead support from UNC-Wilmington, the City of Wilmington, and New Hanover County.
The Biotechnology Center determined that Eastern North Carolina has the resources and capabilities to develop biotechnology, such as company development and recruitment, education and training programs, and investment resources, as well as the many diverse sectors that can benefit from biotechnology development and application. Those sectors include saltwater and freshwater marine resources; aquaculture; livestock, including swine, turkeys, and chickens; forestry; field crops, from corn, soybeans, and cotton to others barely explored; new value-added crops and related extraction processes; biomanufacturing and pharmaceutical manufacturing; biomedical devices; contract research organizations (CROs); drugs and diagnostics for treating human diseases; biofuels; and bioindustrial applications.
Some of these sectors are already benefiting from biotechnology. About 95 percent of cotton, 87 percent of soybeans and 52 percent of corn grown in North Carolina this year are genetically altered, according to the N.C. Department of Agriculture. Pharmaceutical manufacturing is well-established. Other sectors have just begun to realize the new applications and economic benefits that can result from research, development and new companies.
The Oct. 10 ceremony for the Southeastern Office in Wilmington will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. at the City Hall Council Chambers at 310 Chestnut St. Speakers will include N.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler; Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo of UNCWilmington; Chancellor Allen Meadors of UNC-Pembroke; Fred Eshelman, CEO of PPD; and Leslie Alexandre of the Biotechnology Center.
The Oct. 11 ceremony for the Eastern Office in Greenville will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Rock Springs Center at 500 Aaron Circle. Speakers will include Norris Tolson, secretary of the N.C. Department of Revenue; Chancellor Mickey Burnim of Elizabeth City State University; Chancellor Steve Ballard of East Carolina University; Kel Landis, senior advisor to the governor for business and economic affairs; and Leslie Alexandre.
The Biotechnology Center is a private, non-profit corporation supported by the State of North Carolina. Its mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting biotechnology research, business and education statewide.
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Editors: News coverage of the office dedications is welcomed.
Contact: Barry Teater, director of corporate communications, or W. Steven Burke, senior vice president of corporate affairs, North Carolina Biotechnology Center, 919-541-9366. Visit the Center's Web site at www.ncbiotech.org.
