Consider the Carolinas » Industry Site Selection and Relocation » Biotechnology Industry Site Selection

Biotechnology Industry Site Selection

North and South Carolina are popular areas for biotechnology industry site selection. The Carolinas are home to the global biotech and pharma industry center – Research Triangle Park. The world’s largest vaccine facility, Wyeth Vaccines, and the world’s largest blood fractionation plant, Bayer, are located in North Carolina. South Carolina is home to a well-established base of manufacturers for the biotech industry comprised of bulk manufacturing, chemical processing, generic and proprietary drugs, medical compound preparations and packaging.

Duke Energy offers one of the most powerful site selection tools available. For companies involved in biotechnology industry site selection work, the tool is designed to: Evaluate the demographics, wages, labor pool, transportation system, as well as search for sites, buildings, suppliers, competitors or customers throughout North or South Carolina.

Incentives/Tax Advantages

  • In 2004, to demonstrate North Carolina’s commitment to biotech industry site selection, the state offered an estimated $39.4 million in incentives to win Merck’s vaccine manufacturing plant which created 200 jobs.
  • The recently established South Carolina Life Sciences Act represents sweeping legislation that provides a customized incentives approach that is specifically designed for biotechnology industry site selection.

Available, Affordable, Skilled Labor

  • Approximately, 24,000 Carolinians (8 percent of the U.S. industry total) are employed in biotech and medicine manufacturing.
  • The Carolinas is producing a pool of talented labor required for successful biotechnology industry site selection. More than 5,300 Carolinians (5 percent of the national total) receive higher education degrees in biological sciences.
  • Average manufacturing earnings/hour of $13.7 - $14.2 place the Carolinas among 15 states with the most competitive manufacturing wages—another reason the Carolinas is attractive for biotech industry site selection.

Industry Presence

Companies evaluating the Carolinas for biotechnology industry site selection can be assured that the Carolinas is a viable option. Some of the largest biotech producers in the world call the Carolinas home:

  • Several industry leaders call the Carolinas home:  GlaxoSmithKline (R&D, manufacturing and U.S. headquarters), Merck, Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Novartis Animal Health, Novo Nordisk, Biogen, Diosynth, Ajinomoto USA, Bayer Biological Products, Eli Lilly, Eisai, Wyeth Vaccines and bioMerieux.
  • The world’s largest vaccine facility, Wyeth Vaccines, and the world’s largest blood fractionation plant, Bayer, are located in North Carolina.
  • South Carolina is home to a well-established base of biotech manufacturers comprised of bulk manufacturing, chemical processing, generic and proprietary drugs, medical compound preparations and packaging. Industry leaders such as GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer (Capsugel), Bausch & Lomb, Roche Carolina, Leiner Health Products and Nutricia, all have manufacturing facilities in the state.
  • The Carolinas have the world’s greatest concentration of Contract Research Organizations (CRO). Headquartered in North Carolina are four of the world’s largest CROs and testing companies, LabCorp, Quintiles Transnational, PPD and Inveresk Research Group.

Education

Attracting talented employees is critical for successful biotechnology industry site selection. Twelve of the nation’s leading research universities including, Duke University, Clemson University, N.C. State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina are located in the Carolinas. Over 5,000 university scientists and technicians in biotech-related fields live and work in the Carolinas.

Industry-focused initiatives:

  • UNC-Charlotte received a  $35 million biotech grant to construct the BioInformatics Research Center which will connect biological research with technology through the development of computational tools.
  • N.C. State University received a grant for a  Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), funded by the Golden LEAF Foundation.
  • Clemson University  is collaborating with USC-Columbia and Medical University of South Carolina in biotech/biomanufacturing with a major emphasis in tissue regeneration.
  • Wake Forest - At $70m, the initial building will house the offices and laboratories of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The Institute just announced the successful implantation of bladders grown outside the body, and the Lipid Sciences Research Program, which is investigating additional causes of hardening of the arteries as well as how to boost HDL cholesterol – the good cholesterol. Space is also available for new tenants.
  • USC-Columbia - A new $1 to $2 billion, 5 million-square-foot, University Research Park is underway. Key research areas are: biomedical covering heart, cancer and neural analysis.
  • Asheville-Buncombe, Wake, Forsyth, Guilford, Robeson and Pitt Technical Community Colleges  received funding from the Golden LEAF Foundation and now offer BioNetwork capabilities and training in North Carolina.
  • Forsyth Technical Community College received a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor making it the lead community college (with four other colleges across the U.S.) to develop curriculum for biotech R&D technicians, which will result in a national center for biotech work force.
  • Florence-Darlington Technical College developed a specialized chemical engineering technology program for Roche Carolina.
  • Piedmont Technical College partnered with Capsugel to train thousands of employees through the Center for Accelerated Technology Training (CATT), one of South Carolina’s most powerful incentives. CATT has trained nearly 200,000 workers, at no cost, for over 1,600 companies including, BASF, GlaxoSmithKline, Leiner Health Products and Roche Carolina.

Superior Transportation Infrastructure

The ability to access suppliers for manufacturing and transporting products to market is another critical factor for successful biotechnology industry site selection.

  • Seven international airports (Charlotte-Douglas, Piedmont Triad, Raleigh/Durham, Wilmington, Greenville-Spartanburg, Charleston, and Myrtle Beach International), along with nine regional airports, provide a global gateway to and from the Carolinas.
  • Crisscrossed with six major interstates (I-85, I-26, I-77, I-95, I-20 and I-40) and over 140,000 miles of highway, the Carolinas are linked to seaports, businesses and consumers in all directions. Approximately 96 percent of N.C. has access to four-lane highways within 10 minutes.
  • Four Class I railroads with 37 freight lines operate over 5,500 miles of track throughout the Carolinas.
  • Five deep water ports, specializing in intermodal system terminals with interstate and rail access to markets throughout the U.S., are located in the Carolinas. N.C. was the first port operated inland container staging and storage facility in the nation. S.C. is the fourth largest container port in the U.S.

Reliable and Affordable Energy

Duke Energy has highly qualified energy experts and site consultants who can assist in any biotechnology industry site selection project. The service is free and confidential.