Biotechnology is a growing industry in North Carolina. Leaders from the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center said this week that expanding workforce training and strengthening partnerships with local universities are key steps to support the sector, which they noted has national security implications
“We recognize the growth potential in biotech,” Dr. Michele Rozo, vice chair of NSCEB, told the Carolina Journal. “We are just at the beginning of an influx of manufacturing demand for biotech products.”
North Carolina was one of the first states on NSCEB’s Biotech Across America Road Tour. During this tour, the commission will meet with lawmakers in various states to discuss investment opportunities and ways to expand the biotech industry within each state.
“In the last 18 months alone, we’ve seen $11 billion of announced investments and the intent to create over 5,000 new jobs; 93% of this will be at life sciences manufacturing sites,” Dr. Rowley, VP of life sciences economic development for NC Biotechnology Center, told the Carolina Journal. “This is something that is a historic strength for us and continues to be a strength as we move ahead. We’ve created an ecosystem that enables companies that are new to our market, like Genentech and Johnson & Johnson, as well as those that have called our state home for a long time (…) to make billion-dollar advancements and expansions here.
The commission has made recommendations to Congress, outlined in their recent report, Charting the Future of Biotechnology, which highlights the importance of the biotech industry to national security. According to Dr. Rozo, the United States is well behind China, which has prioritized biotech at the federal level for the last 20 years. Biotech, like AI and semiconductors, should be treated as a national security priority. The report lays out a blueprint for action and investing $15 billion over five years.
One of North Carolina’s most prominent investors is Fujifilm, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Fujifilm has invested $8 billion in the global contract manufacturing organization (CMO) life sciences space. Half of that, or $4 billion, has been invested in the state of North Carolina, and more than three-quarters of that ($3.2 billion) has been invested in the Holly Springs region, according to Crystal Vanuch, head of government affairs for Fujifilm.
Life science CMOs in North Carolina include Novo Nordisk, Genentech, Amgen, and many more. Genentech and Amgen are companies funded partly by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG). Both are based in Holly Springs. Amgen broke ground on its expansion in January, but Genentech has not yet broken ground on its facility. If plans for the company move forward, this would be the first Genentech footprint in North Carolina.
Workforce development programs in the state would provide the necessary staff to support investments such as Genentech, Amgen, and many more companies with manufacturing facilities within the state.
Experts at NCSEB and the NC Biotechnology Center, which hosted NSCEB for a discussion earlier this week, have noted that workforce development training is one of the keys to expanding the already existing investment in biotechnology manufacturing in the state of North Carolina.
“I think locally in North Carolina, we are fortunate to have several well-established training programs, but continue to leverage our systems approach to allow for this programs to expand into additional parts of the state as the need demands,” said Dr. Rowley. “Also putting an effort into awareness to ensure that high school students understand the accessibility that exists, especially in biomanufacturing roles, that it does not require an advanced degree or anything beyond their high school diploma. We are increasingly leaning into the Career and College Promise Program that allows high school students, at no cost to them, to take some of the certificate programs while still in high school and then be prepared upon graduation to enter into those roles.”
Officials say developing workforce programs focused on biotech manufacturing could help strengthen North Carolina’s position in the industry, which has been identified as important to national security.
The post Biotech boom in North Carolina tied to national security, say industry leaders first appeared on Carolina Journal.