Module Week 12 Assignment: The News Release

Note: This is not an official news release. 

THE NORTH CAROLINA BIOTECHNOLOGY CENTER TO OPEN
NEW OFFICE AT THE NORTH CAROLINA RESEARCH CAMPUS

Contacts:
North Carolina Biotechnology Center:
Barry Teater, director of corporate communications.
W. Steven Burke, senior vice president of corporate affairs.
919-549-XXXX.

North Carolina Research Campus:
Dr. Andrew Conrad, chief scientific officer.
704-687-XXXX.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Dec. 25, 2006 — The North Carolina Biotechnology Center will locate its new Charlotte Area Office at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis.

“This office is a great opportunity to leverage our shared efforts to develop biotechnology research, education, and business in the Charlotte region. Kannapolis will also benefit from this partnership,” said Dr. Andrew Conrad, the Research Campus chief scientific officer.

The Charlotte Area Office will be the fifth and final regional office of the Biotechnology Center. Others established across the state since 2003 include a Western Office in Asheville, a Piedmont Triad Office in Winston-Salem, an Eastern Office in Greenville and a Southeastern Office in Wilmington.

The small offices, each staffed by a director and an assistant, work to strengthen biotechnology research, business, education and workforce training in all parts of the state, drawing on the unique resources of each region.

W. Steven Burke, the Biotechnology Center’s senior vice president for corporate affairs, said, “Because biotechnology is complex, its development requires that varied resources work together. Partnerships are key to a successful biotechnology community. Locating our office at the Research Campus is a smart catalyst for scientific and economic development.”

The Charlotte Area Office will help institutions, schools and agencies identify area needs, goals, and niche capabilities; draw on the programs and activities of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center; and develop a regional Advisory Committee to guide biotechnology development — all toward the goal of creating biotechnology companies and the high-paying jobs they bring.

A Strategic Plan Priority

Developing biotechnology in all parts of the state is a major priority of the state’s blueprint for biotechnology development, New Jobs Across North Carolina: A Strategic Plan for Growing the Economy Statewide through Biotechnology. The 102-page document lists 54 strategies to strengthen education, business and workforce training programs. Such recommendation include expand funding for high-risk, early stage applied research to develop new products with commercial potential.

Some Recommendations Include:

• Increase funding for university research, particularly high-risk, early stage applied research, to facilitate a constant flow of new discoveries with future commercial potential;
• Earmark more funding to the community colleges to hire more instructors and purchase more equipment to train new workers in bioprocessing and biomanufacturing; and
• Create new investment funds to ensure young companies have access to early-stage investment capital.

Niche Capabilities

The Charlotte region has a growing foundation of resources and capabilities for biotechnology development, from university research and workforce training to technology transfer and company development. The region offers niche capabilities in fields that offer promise for scientific and economic development:

• Nanotechnology: The manipulation of matter on an ultra-small scale;
• Bioinformatics: The storage, retrieval and analysis of large amounts of biological data; and
• Biomedical Engineering: The development of prostheses, medical devices, diagnostic devices, drugs and other therapies.

More Information

The North Carolina Research Campus, located 10 minutes from Charlotte, is a 350-acre biotechnology center that will create as many 35,000 jobs. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State and Duke universities will have research installations on site.

The North Carolina Biotechnology Center, headquartered in Research Triangle Park with five regional offices across the state, is a private, non-profit corporation supported by the North Carolina General Assembly. The Biotechnology Center’s 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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