North Carolina: A Global Life Sciences Leader
Why are so many life sciences companies choosing North Carolina?
North Carolina is ranked among the top life sciences hubs in the U.S. with a talent pool of 76,000 skilled workers and 860 life sciences companies. An additional 2,500 support company sites bolster the sector.
Life sciences companies are choosing North Carolina for:
- Top talent built upon decades of investment
- Extensive training infrastructure
- Lower business operating costs
- Top research universities
- Collaborative, business-friendly environment
- High quality of life
Tap into NCBiotech's expertise, resources, and connections to help your business grow.
North Carolina At A Glance
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Named the 2026 Top State for Workforce Development, per Site Selection Magazine
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Named the 2025 Top State for Business, per CNBC
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Named the 2025 Top Metros for U.S. Biologics Manufacturing, per Global Location Strategies
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Named the 2025 Top State for Workforce Development, per Site Selection Magazine
Featured Resources
North Carolina is the ideal location to grow your thriving business. Explore the resources NCBiotech can provide to support your path to success.
NC Life Sciences Core Strengths
North Carolina's Core Strengths include:
- Biopharma Manufacturing
- Contract Research and Testing
- Research & Development
- Agtech
Workforce Development and Talent Recruitment
As our dynamic life sciences community expands, North Carolina remains committed to enhancing our talent pipeline. Our top-ranked academic environment and specialized training programs nurture and maintain a qualified pool of candidates prepared for careers across various life sciences sectors.
Explore resources and initiatives that can help you find talent for your growing life sciences company.
Contact Laura Rowley for more information.
NC BioNetwork
The NC Community College System's BioNetwork connects and supports students, companies and colleges with professional growth and career paths. Thirteen community colleges offer the BioWork certificate program, with both in-person and eLearning options.
BRITE
North Carolina Central University’s BRITE specializes in life sciences training and research. BRITE students can earn undergraduate majors, minors, or advanced biotechnical degrees in biomanufacturing, pharmaceutical sciences and clinical sciences research.
BTEC
At North Carolina State University’s BTEC, undergraduates, graduate students, and working professionals learn the latest biomanufacturing technologies via hands-on training at its facilities. BTEC’s pilot-scale, simulated-GMP labs, prepare students for industry.
NC Pharmaceutical Services Network
NCPSN is a collaboration between ECU and Pitt Community College that provides lab-based pharmaceutical education and training. Undergraduate students, graduate students, and local companies tap into NCPSN for instruction on oral solid dose theory and manufacturing techniques, aseptic gowning, and how to work in an isolator manufacturing environment.
Eastern Region Pharma Center
The ERPC provides biomanufacturing training in eastern North Carolina. ERPC, housed within East Carolina University's life sciences building, prepares students for careers in the pharma sector. It is well-connected with the BioPharma Crescent, five community colleges and regional pharma companies.
Webinar: Top Considerations for Your Company's Next Expansion
Whether your company is on the verge of a new product approval or approaching maximum production capacity, a business expansion may be in your future. Attend this webinar to learn about recommended resources, timelines, and top considerations for planning a life sciences expansion.
Presentation slides available here.
North Carolina's Life Sciences
Training Infrastructure
Impact
International
Source: NCBiotech Business Intelligence & Analytics; TEConomy Partners Report
Success Stories
North Carolina is home to companies of various sizes, from large enterprises to startups. Explore how the state's collaborative ecosystem supports each company's successes.
FUJIFILM Biotechnologies
In 2021, FUJIFILM Biotechnologies, a global CDMO, announced a $2B investment in the Town of Holly Springs to establish one of the largest end-to-end cell culture biomanufacturing operations in North America, adding 725 new jobs. In 2024, the company announced a $1.2B expansion that would bring an additional 680 jobs to the site. Since 2021, FUJIFILM Biotechnologies has hired over 1,000 new employees in North Carolina.
Pairwise
Pairwise, a midsized ag tech company in Durham, NC, is advancing CRISPR technology in food and agriculture. In 2024, it secured $40 million in Series C funding, partnering with Corteva and Bayer to enhance precision plant breeding, improve consumer nutrition, support grower economics, and adapt crops to climate change.
Lindy Biosciences
Lindy Biosciences, a drug-formulations startup company in Morrisville, NC was founded in 2016. Lindy Biosciences is an NCBiotech portfolio company that has received $950,000 in loans from NCBiotech. In 2024, signed a $1B global licensing agreement with Novartis Pharma AG. The collaboration will convert certain Novartis medicines into self-administered subcutaneous injections using Lindy's "microglassification" technology.
North Carolina’s transportation infrastructure supports life sciences companies all across the state.
Some of our major advantages include:
- An ideal mid-Atlantic location
- Four international airports, including Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte
- 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 U.S.
