This article was written for our sponsor, Innovation Road Trip.
For over 35 years, the state of North Carolina has been dedicated to growing life sciences. After Genentech produced insulin in the early 1980s, the first biotech drug at the time, the state saw the potential for a life science sector and created the North Carolina Biotechnology Center — a private, nonprofit and state-funded organization devoted to growing the life science field.
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Today, with the help of NCBiotech, North Carolina is home to over 790 life sciences companies. These companies employ more than 70,000 people and directly and indirectly support 224,000 jobs across the state in a variety of sectors.
The founding of NCBiotech
“When the Biotechnology Center started in 1984, one of the ideas of what we would tackle was agriculture and biotechnology and merging them together. Soybeans and cotton both grow much better in North Carolina because of the science that was done 20 and 30 years ago,” said Robin Deacle, former vice president of corporate communications at NCBiotech. “Going forward, what those companies are looking at now is how to do even more on even less land and even less hospitable climates, so as temperatures rise and as saltwater intrudes on our freshwater, we'll have solutions for farmers that need to grow the food that's feeding North Carolina and the world.”
Currently, one of the largest endeavors supported by NCBiotech in North Carolina is gene and cell therapy. Numerous companies are making medicines with the potential to cure previously untreatable diseases through gene therapies and cell therapies.
Careers opportunities at NCBiotech
NCBiotech works with schools across the state — from Duke, UNC and NC State in the Triangle to East Carolina University in Greenville — to complete this research and train up the workforce.
Since there are over 700 life sciences companies in the state, there are plenty of job opportunities for a range of education and training levels — even those fresh out of college or graduate school.
“It was really important to me to not just have a job when I graduated, but to have a job that I felt proud of, and I was drawn to the technology of what I can do with biotech,” said Elice Kitchen-Mckinley. “Our company works with neurodegenerative diseases, and we are targeting really rare diseases. A career in biopharma offers me a chance to make a difference in someone's life, and we get to learn about the children who are receiving our products and their progress. It’s been amazing.”
With the help of NCBiotech, people who are interested in a life science career can find education, training, networking opportunities and more. Students and recent graduates are also eligible for internship opportunities at 40 different companies and organizations through the Industrial Internship Program.
Making an impact
Through these life science positions, people have the opportunity to make a difference on a global scale, all without leaving North Carolina.
“A biotech career offers people a chance to make a difference in people's lives that they may not even know about, and it's such a great experience,” said Delories Houchens, an associate manufacturing scientist. “I was really surprised by the number of opportunities here in North Carolina, in the biotech industry — there really is a place for everyone.”
This article was written for our sponsor, Innovation Road Trip.