
N.C. Biotechnology Center
Since 1984, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center has invested more than $187 million in state monies to develop biotechnology statewide. It is not a site for laboratory research or company incubation, but it works to strengthen the research capabilities of North Carolina's companies and universities.
Locations[edit]
The permanent headquarters of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in Research Triangle Park is a hub for work, learning, and interaction. The buildings encompass 67, 000 square feet (6, 200 m2) and is divided into three main parts:
- A program-management center housing about 70 staff members;
- A full-service biotechnology library, open to the public; and
- The Hamner Conference Center.
The North Carolina Biotechnology Center works toward six goals:
- Strengthen North Carolina's academic and industrial biotechnology research capabilities.
- Foster North Carolina's biotechnology industrial development.
- Work with business, government and academia to move biotechnology from research to commercialization in North Carolina.
- Inform North Carolinians about the science, applications, benefits and issues of biotechnology.
- Enhance the teaching and workforce-training capabilities of North Carolina's educational institutions.
- Establish North Carolina as a preeminent international location for the biotechnology industry.
History[edit]
In 1981, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center was created by the North Carolina General Assembly. At that time, the state's General Assembly appointed a legislative study commission to determine how North Carolina could ensure long-term economic benefits from biotechnology. A yearlong study by the commission concluded that North Carolina needed a private, non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to biotechnology development.
Following that recommendation, state legislatures established the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in October 1984 as the world's first government-sponsored biotechnology center.
The first president of the N.C. Biotechnology Center was Leon Golberg, previously head of the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology in RTP.
References[edit]
- Link, Albery N. From Seed to Harvest: The Growth of the Research Triangle Park. Research Triangle Park: Research Triangle Foundation of America. (2002): 99-102.