New Alliance Aims to Grow Life-Science Business in Eastern N.C.

Greenville, N.C. — A recently formed partnership of five eastern North Carolina counties backed by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center is hoping to expand the life-science industry across the region.

To back its drive, the NC BioEast Alliance said Thursday that it would release a 63-page study outlining strategies the organization believes will bring more companies and jobs to the area.

The Biotech Center paid for the study.

North Carolina already has one of the largest biotech and life-science clusters in the U.S., employing more than 50,000 people. Much of that industry is around the Research Triangle.

Representatives from Edgecombe, Nash, Pitt, Wayne and Wilson make up to the alliance.

Seeking to build around and expand resources such as East Carolina University in Greenville, the BioEast plan outlines five major strategies:

1. Unite the five counties into a functional marketing unit.
2. Foster a “repatriation” program (seeking to convince entrepreneurs and executives to return to the area).
3. Create virtual representations for new life-science sites and facilities
4. Expand a faculty recruitment grant program to enhance ECU research faculty.
5. Create a research institute at ECU to serve as an employer, attractant for additional grants, and developer of new technologies.

“With the right resources in place and key strategies followed, we would expect to see a significant increase in local employment and a substantial boost to the local tax base within the next five to 10 years,” the report says. “The synergy from this Alliance will have a dramatic impact on the development of the life-science industry in this region.”