North Carolina focuses on growing its life science sector in BBBRC Phase 2 proposal
According to this recent article in WRAL TechWire, our neighbors in the Tar Heel state have some big plans when it comes to the next phase of growing North Carolina’s life sciences sector.
A coalition of partners, led by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBiotech), recently submitted a Phase 2 proposal under the federal Economic Development Administration’s “Build Back Better Regional Challenge” (BBBRC) for the project titled “Accelerating Life Science Manufacturing to Create Economic Resilience and Promote Equity in Distressed North Carolina Communities.” Those who have followed the BBBRC know that 529 applications were submitted from across the country including nine from Tennessee, and 60 organizations were invited to submit proposals under Phase 2 with the hope of securing up to $100 million each. Only one Tennessee proposal made the cut.
There are seven projects outlined in the North Carolina proposal that collectively provide a roadmap to the next big inflection point in the evolution of the state’s life sciences manufacturing sector. Details were not provided in the article was written by Bill Bullock, NCBiotech Senior Vice President for Economic Development and Statewide Operations. Instead, the article covers the history of the industry’s growth in the state, identifies three key challenges, and defines a platform to drive transformational change for North Carolina’s life sciences manufacturing capability.