What makes North Carolina a leading life science hub?
Our top-tier research universities, strong talent pipeline, and thriving ecosystem are moving life science companies forward.
North Carolina has a highly trained workforce of 64,500, a large community of 700+ bioscience companies and approximately 2,400 service providers, and a low cost of doing business, among many other competitive advantages.
Why do so many life science companies call North Carolina home?
Strong, diverse life science cluster
Some of the biggest names in pharma, biotech, agriculture, and contract research
Consistent top tier ranking from numerous analyses of life science clusters in the U.S.
Specialization in R&D, Contract Research, Ag, Bioscience Distribution (source: TEConomy)
Trained Workforce
58
community colleges
22,388
life science degrees conferred 2012-2017
17
UNC campuses
36
private colleges
Superior Science
5
medical schools
4
pharmacy schools
3
cancer centers (comprehensive)
2
land grant universities
1
veterinary school
International Connections
88
international companies
24
countries
2
major international airports
100 million
people in a 500-mile radius
2018 TEConomy Report Highlights
The "2018 Evidence and Opportunity: Impact of Life Sciences in North Carolina" report from TEConomy Partners, LLC analyzes the ten-year transformation of life sciences in North Carolina.
North Carolina's infrastructure supports life science companies all across the state. Some of our major advantages include:
- An ideal mid-Atlantic location
- Four international airports, including major international airports Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte Douglas
- Daily freight and passenger trains with 3,200 miles of railroad
- Two coastal ports, including 3 million cubic feet of cold storage space
- 90,000+ miles of highway connecting NC to all corners of the US
North Carolina's Life Science Leaders
Life Science Industry News
Our expert staff is here to answer your questions or connect you with the resource that will drive your technology, project or business forward. This includes our retention program. Contact Bill Bullock at 919-541-9366.