NCBiotech’s Life Sciences Intelligence unit: a library like no other

It has been known for years by insiders as the “hidden gem” of North Carolina’s life sciences ecosystem. And now, after four decades of unique and valuable service to partners statewide, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center’s (NCBiotech’s) Life Sciences Intelligence (LSI) unit is now a “gem on display.” 

And it’s just in time for National Library Week, established in 1958 by the American Library Association and the National Book Committee to promote reading and library support.

In an era of frenzy over artificial intelligence, NCBiotech’s one-of-a-kind LSI offers “human intelligence.” 

From market data and forecasts to reports on the competitive landscape, investment, and partnership opportunities, LSI professionals are available to help life sciences entities, from agtech and medical device companies to biopharma, diagnostics, and support services.

It’s the only service of its kind among the nation’s life sciences hubs. 

LSI research analysts provide certain services to entrepreneurs, major corporations, and institutions free of charge. Even its fee-for-service offerings are available at a discount to in-state life sciences entities. 

A competitive advantage for NC’s life sciences 

“Those in the know understand the competitive advantage we bring to our life sciences community,” said Allison Cruse, MBA, MLIS, vice president of business intelligence and analytics (BIA), who heads the LSI team. “But a lot of people are still unaware of our services.” 

“At the end of the day, our number one focus is helping our clients,” said Jess Reece, MSLS, director of Life Sciences Intelligence. “Whether that’s through our self-service market reports or custom research, we want to be the ecosystem’s one-stop shop for information.” 

NCBiotech had already set a precedent early on by establishing an in-house professional library to support the unmet needs of startups that couldn’t afford, for instance, important, expensive market and pricing research and professional journal access.  

LSI supports NCBiotech's mission of advancing the life sciences community statewide. That helped establish North Carolina as a global life sciences leader.

In fiscal year 2025, LSI research analysts fulfilled more than 3,000 requests from over 200 unique organizations, ranging from early-stage startups to global corporations. Services involved delivering tailored insights on scientific literature, trends, competitors, funding, deals, and more across all life sciences sectors. In the process, the LSI team helped North Carolina companies make smarter strategic decisions through custom market landscapes and competitive research.

Valuable resource, cost-effective solution

Carlyle Rogers, Ph.D., director of licensing and commercialization at East Carolina University, has extensive experience working with LSI. His office helps faculty translate research discoveries into real-world solutions.

“LSI is a valuable resource and cost-effective solution to help de-risk and advance our portfolio of innovations,” said Rogers. “By providing comprehensive market intelligence and data-driven insights, LSI enables ECU’s Office of Licensing & Commercialization to evaluate and advance innovations in their early stages."

He cited several ways the university has successfully leveraged LSI expertise, including “identifying potential licensees, understanding deal flow, locating corporate and industry customers, mapping out investor contacts, and building resource repositories for specific projects.”

“This partnership ensures that life science innovations developed by ECU faculty are aligned with the needs of industry, so they are positioned to attract interest, investment, and ultimately deliver meaningful impact across North Carolina and beyond,” added Rogers.

Relevant, actionable insights, quick turnaround

“Our team has utilized the market research services of NCBiotech on several occasions,” added Mireya McKee, Ph.D., interim director of new ventures and partnerships at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and director of the university’s KickStart Venture Services. 

“Their experienced team consistently delivered relevant and actionable insights with a quick turnaround. Their extensive resource library features premium databases … and has been very valuable for our market assessments, competitive analysis, and investor outreach.”

In addition to LSI’s research services, another “product” of the broader BIA group that remains a hallmark of North Carolina’s life sciences ecosystem is the Company Directory, which provides current, easily accessible data on every life sciences company in the state. Thanks to the constant work of the BIA team, that total can be reliably publicized – currently 860 companies employing 76,000 people, along with 2,500 support and related companies serving those core businesses.

Another increasingly popular service from LSI is its “Informing Innovation Presents” webinars. They started as in-person conferences but are now free one-hour online sessions available to everyone three times a year. The next one, “A Beginner's Guide to Searching PubMed and Europe PMC,” will be held on May 21 at 10:00 a.m. 

NCBiotech’s library space is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to visitors seeking a free, quiet space to access self-service materials, such as market research reports. Clients can also make appointments for research consultations by emailing [email protected]. 

“Having a conversation with us is always free,” said Reece. “We’re happy to talk. We want to connect. At the end of the day, I want people to know that LSI is available to them where they are – now, and in the future. “