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North Carolina’s life sciences industry is strong and growing by most economic measures. And that’s good, because it’s working on some of the planet’s biggest problems, including meeting the needs of a growing population despite finite resources. While North Carolina offers most of what the industry needs, including research, funding, locations and workforce, more support would push its work further and faster forward. Business North Carolina magazine recently gathered industry experts to discuss how biology is and can be used to solve problems and what’s needed to keep the state at the industry’s forefront. Their conversation was moderated by Publisher Ben Kinney. The transcript was edited for brevity and clarity.
The discussion was sponsored by:
• N.C. Biotechnology Center
• NC Life Sciences
• Novonesis
• Robeson Community College
WHERE DOES THE INDUSTRY STAND? HOW DOES IT CONTRIBUTE TO THE STATE?
EDGETON: Life sciences is still in its nascent stages. Opportunity abounds. Our world continuously needs things. Population is growing, and there are fewer places to grow crops. There are more pollutants in the water. Biology will solve many of these issues.
The bioeconomy is biotechnology, using biology to enhance lives and solve problems — food production, industrial chemicals, health and healthcare, and more. Bioeconomic solutions are happening statewide. In southeastern North Carolina, for example, methane captured from hog waste lagoons is powering electricity generation. In another case, we’re returning nutrients that are lost when chicken eggs are sterilized.
In 2024, North Carolina announced $10.8 billion of projects and 4,500 jobs across 16 communities statewide. That’s a state record times 10. Opportunities are growing, and current federal initiatives aim to onshore more. We need to stay out of our own way, avoiding things that would deter people and businesses from coming to North Carolina.
We’re focused on opening people’s eyes to bioeconomic opportunities. More than 100,000 people currently work in the life sciences industry. It generates about $82 billion of annual economic impact and about $2.5 billion in state and local taxes, up from about $2.4 billion two years ago. It’s growing.
GUNTER: We’re monitoring federal-level changes. They’re creating concern, though there’s some sense they’ll settle down. We continue to tell our stories and share our pain points with our legislators. When something happens at the federal level that’s good or bad for the industry, North Carolina feels an exponentially bigger impact, because the industry has a stronger presence here than in many other states.
North Carolina is the complete life sciences ecosystem. There are students just getting their foot in the door at community colleges, while others are working on their Ph.D. at universities. There is research and innovation underway at our universities. And manufacturers are pushing out materials. The industry’s growth and employment reveal what’s happening.
North Carolina is business friendly. It regularly ranks well. We have a state level life sciences caucus, which connects the industry to legislators. This year we’ve talked about the economy in general and what North Carolina looks like. We’ve had the NCBiotech Center share information from its newly released 2024 State of the Life Sciences Economy report. We’ve explored training and educational programs aimed at military personnel leaving the service — about 20,000 annually in North Carolina — who are prime employees for the industry. Those programs could be through a community college and offer a recertification or additional degree. We also discussed opportunities for high school graduates at the same workforce focused meeting.
GARZA: Business is booming. Novonesis posted high single-digit rates of growth in 2024, and our North American business is a big part of that. The biggest challenge we face is that of capacity; we can’t make enough product fast enough. It is predicted that the world’s population will increase by 2 billion people by 2050. How much more food, materials and energy will be needed to address a population that large? Resources already struggle to keep pace with the current population. At Novonesis, we believe biology holds the answer to many challenges.
Our biosolutions are enzymes and microorganisms. We all interact with these tiny agents of change; from the food we eat to the fuel we put in our vehicles. The natural world would grind to a halt without them. Enzymes degrade fallen leaves, returning key nutrients to the soil and completing the cycle of life. Biotechnology allows us to harness their power, shaping a better world for us and future generations. In short, we exist to better our world with biology.
We’re proud to call North Carolina home and be a part of the remarkable growth of this state. Novonesis employs 800 talented people across three locations in the state. Our Novonesis North America headquarters, based in rural Franklinton and built nearly 50 years ago in a former soybean field, is the continent’s largest multipurpose enzyme manufacturing plant. Here we make products that reach an average of 5.6 billion people a week. We use fermentation to make our products, which improve people’s lives, the planet, crop yields and even the shelf life of bread. We contribute to renewable and sustainable fuels such as corn ethanol, which cuts emissions by 40% compared to gasoline. We want to continue to grow and do more. We’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg. We’ve yet to discover 99.9% of all microorganisms. Solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems could be within some of them and could come from innovators and biological discoveries right here in North Carolina.
BUCCI: Our focus at Sable Fermentation is food and agriculture, but we work with many types of biotechnology companies. The amount of innovation underway is amazing. It’s driven by several things, including a desire for healthier food. People understand how and where food is grown, and they want more sustainable solutions. We’re working on reducing greenhouse emissions and reliance on petrochemicals while sustaining the world’s growing population.
We help drive economic development in the state. Our Rolodex contains about 50 customers, and 80% of them are in North Carolina. Their projects include probiotics for livestock that reduce reliance on antibiotics and soil amendments and bio-based crop protection products that reduce petrochemical-based pesticide use. These small- and medium-size companies want to get to market quickly. We help them scale up, so they can go to commercial levels. We want to ensure that North Carolina’s innovation engine continues to be funded.
North Carolina growers need tools and options. There’s no one-trick pony, because the world is changing. Living things adapt to inputs that growers have used for many years, so we need to stay a step ahead. Bio-based solutions add to the toolbox.
MILCZEK: Innovation is fueling optimism nationwide. But there is uncertainty, too. That’s top of mind in many businesses like Curie Co, venture backed earlier stage commercializing companies.
There’s a manufacturing gap — people who could aid and support small-scale manufacturing. That support is limited domestically, so companies go overseas for it. But the uncertainty of tariffs looms. We’re a U.S.-based company that would love to manufacture here. We support onshoring manufacturing, but that doesn’t happen overnight. We need resources and investments in infrastructure to allow U.S. companies to create that kind of manufacturing presence.
HOW CAN INDUSTRY AWARENESS BOOST WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT?
GARZA: Increasing industry awareness is critical to boosting workforce development. Biosolutions are a key enabler of economic development in North Carolina, and Novonesis is committed to growing the biotech industry here. The state is a prime location to grow a biotech company with a talent pool of 75,000 highly skilled workers employed by more than 840 life science companies and more than 400 companies contributing to the bioeconomy.
A primary challenge of Novonesis and other manufacturers is that the demand for people in manufacturing positions outweighs the supply. There will be 2 million manufacturing jobs without people to fill them by 2030. The hurdle we need to overcome is correcting perceptions about these careers. Manufacturing jobs aren’t usually seen as sexy; younger generations often don’t even consider this field. But manufacturing has evolved dramatically, shifting from manual labor to mass production and automation, driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and advancements in technology, including the use of computers, robotics and AI.
Biomanufacturing is further differentiated as we are using natural resources, such as plant-based or microbial feedstocks, making it more environmentally friendly and providing job seekers the opportunity to choose a profession with a positive purpose. Qualified manufacturing technicians at Novonesis are on the front end of delivering products to the world. Training and development are continuous, leading to rewarding career opportunities in an industry that is ripe with opportunity.
THOMAS: Many students sure about majoring in biology are unsure about a career. I suggest biotechnology. While Triangle students regularly pass biotechnology companies, where family members may work, that’s not the case in many rural regions. If you’ve never seen it, then you don’t know about it.
Students, along with displaced workers, need an introduction, whether that’s companies reaching out or welcoming tours. Companies can partner with universities, community colleges and even high schools to create that exposure. Many rural residents think everything is healthcare related. But there are many ways to help and care for people beyond being a nurse.
We’re teaching community college classes to high school students through partnerships such as Career and College Promise Program. They take them tuition free. Students in the Early College program earn a high school diploma and two-year degree simultaneously.
GUNTER: Through the Build Back Better Challenge Grants, the biosector assembled a cohort of folks. Part of that grant went toward awareness. There are industry awareness activities underway.
We can’t visit every elementary or middle school. So, alternative efforts are sharing our message with those students. Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh and Museum of Life and Science in Durham, as examples, are hosting students. They learn about biotechnology, the bioeconomy and possible careers beyond healthcare. Plant those seeds early, so kids get interested.
EDGETON: North Carolina’s workforce understood manufacturing in the 1950s. The industry continues today, though it has changed and adapted to life sciences from textiles and furniture. We’ve adapted training programs through partnerships with community colleges and universities. We stay at the center of the industry, facilitating those connections.
Our Life Sciences Manufacturing Ambassador Program, which began in 2023, creates community connections and shares training opportunities, job openings and industry events. We offer headsets that take the wearer on a virtual tour through a modern factory. They provide access without gowning up or going onsite. We bring them to high schools and watch students move items in that environment. The experience is realistic. Thermo Fisher Scientific trains its workers similarly.
Out of the state’s 100 counties, 96 have residents working in life sciences, though some more heavily than others. It’s an impressive spread. We need life science employment to be like the community college system, which has a campus within a 30-minute drive of nearly every resident.
The community college system is a great partner. We created BioWork, which teaches the foundational skills needed by process technicians at biotechnology, pharmaceutical or chemical manufacturing companies. But new things are coming. How will AI change the industry? How do we prepare people for that?
There are more university and community college students looking for careers every day. We want the best and brightest to stay in North Carolina. We want to connect them to bioeconomic opportunities, which aren’t only for Ph.D. scientists. There are opportunities for people holding high school diplomas, training program certificates, two- and four-year degrees, and master’s degrees. We need them all.
BUCCI: We recently hired a Wake Tech grad who holds a two-year degree. He’s probably the best lab manager that I’ve seen during my 30 years in the industry. He returns to the college to talk with students. They discuss working in the industry and what has made him successful. We need more people like him spreading the message from real experience.
About a quarter of the more than 400 companies contributing to North Carolina’s bioeconomy are developing cutting edge agricultural technology. How and where do we share that message? People need to know that agriculture isn’t only hand harvesting, and other life sciences are as important as healthcare.
MILCZEK: Outreach requires human capital, but sharing it online requires minimal effort and resources. If you request companies to host students, share and promote the event on YouTube afterward. That magnifies its message. This is the TikTok generation. We communicate through social media.
North Carolina and the country have lost many manufacturing jobs. The culture that championed those jobs as great careers disappeared, too. Manufacturing jobs are different than those in retail and other industries. Is today’s workforce mentally ready to return to them?
WHERE DOES THE INDUSTRY FIND SUPPORT?
GUNTER: North Carolina was one of the first states to offer a matching grant program for companies that obtained Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer funding. Unfortunately, demand has outpaced that program. We’re asking the state to address its funding. Every dollar put into it returned about $250. You typically don’t see that kind of return.
Golden LEAF Biotechnology Training and Education Center and Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise started in the early 2000s. BioNetwork followed. Those groups, along with N.C. Biotechnology Center and NCLifeSci, are under NCBioImpact’s umbrella, which covers industry and academia. Within it, we communicate about opportunities, industry shifts and new technologies.
There are many good companies and support systems, including First Flight Venture Center, whose FAST program helps companies understand and secure SBIR funding. They contribute to the larger think tank that looks forward, deciding where we want to be tomorrow. That’s one reason North Carolina has been successful. We think ahead and outside the box.
BUCCI: North Carolina is a special place. Sable Fermentation would be a year from starting operations without its network and ecosystem. We received a competitive loan through an N.C. Biotechnology Center program, which is funded by the General Assembly. We took advantage of an accelerator program at First Flight Ventures. We’re engaged with NC State’s Plant Sciences Initiative and Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center. We belong to NCLifeSci, which offers members equipment discounts and travel programs. Those help start and sustain small businesses.
I co-founded another company, and my co-founder was in a different state. It had an entrepreneurial community centered around a large university, and someone there told her the business would never be funded and to throw in the towel. North Carolina is the opposite. You’re shown funding sources. Raleigh-based Eva Garland Consulting helps write more successful grant proposals. And we have the NC Food Innovation Lab in Kannapolis. It’s why we received $30 million over five years from the Bezos Earth Fund through NC State to create a biomanufacturing hub for dietary proteins. It’s amazing.
GARZA: As a global force in industrial biotech with more than 2,000 U.S. employees, a significant footprint across the country and customers representing more than 30 diverse industries, we have a unique perspective in the industry and have found support in many areas. The entire spectrum of the U.S. biotech sector — from startups to multinational corporations, and from pioneering researchers to regulatory bodies — share an imperative goal: propelling the U.S. to the forefront of biotechnology innovation in order to better our world for future generations.
We find great value in our membership in the National Association of Manufacturers, where I sit on the board, collaborating to build the manufacturing industry and support workforce development efforts.
We see great support from organizations such as BioIndustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem, a nonprofit public-private partnership dedicated to advancing domestic bioindustrial manufacturing.
We applauded the recent National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology report that catalyzes a unified movement across the industry and proposed dozens of recommendations that will drive biotech in the U.S. forward.
These recommendations extend to North Carolina and, if implemented, could have a real impact. Former Gov. Roy Cooper visited Franklinton a few years ago. He was returning from Boston and was excited about its biotech hub. He wanted RTP to be the next Boston in terms of biotechnology. That dream is alive today, and we share it. But it requires support at the state level, everything from pushing our national representatives for the policies in the NSCEB report — such as streamlined regulatory policy, encouraging bioliteracy education and promoting workforce development — to attracting more businesses to the state that support our industry.
Novonesis’ manufacturing, for example, requires a lot of sugar, the raw material for fermentation. Dextrose, a type of sugar, is derived from corn. A lot of corn is grown in North Carolina. Currently, that corn is shipped to the Midwest, where it’s processed with our enzymes, then the dextrose is shipped back. That’s a long and expensive supply chain. Novonesis also has a big enzyme manufacturing operation in Blair, Nebraska. We can be more competitive with these products, because nearby processor Cargill ships dextrose to us via a pipe. Imagine if the entire infrastructure — startup, funding, commercialization, and big-scale production — were here, transforming North Carolina crops into high nutrient, healthy and great-tasting food. Support for this kind of infrastructure is what we need to make North Carolina the biotech hub of the U.S.
EDGETON: NC State’s research stations fly under most people’s radar. These 18 plots across the state simulate almost any growing condition in the world.
MILCZEK: We started Curie Co in New York City, where incredibly talented scientists developed much of our early technology. But there was less talent with experience moving new biotech innovation into the marketplace. So, we relocated to North Carolina during the pandemic, because we found that RTP was rich with talent that had the experience moving technology out of the laboratory and into the marketplace.
During one recent week filled with industry events, I heard stories that reminded me of New York City a decade ago. One person said there are two places where no one complains about money — the Bay Area and New York City. That was wild. When I started in New York City, everyone complained about the lack of investors. That has changed.
New York — the city and state — did one thing that would benefit North Carolina. They were tired of losing talent to Boston, so they spent billions of dollars propping up their life sciences community. They offered matching funding programs, because investors were non-existent.
North Carolina is fantastic at seeding early stage companies. And the founders who I’ve met here are scrappy and resourceful. They’re doing two to three times more with a single dollar and not only because of a lower cost of living. They’re resourceful and rely on a community to build their business. But you must keep them going until they become profitable. Otherwise, you’re seeding great companies that will fail because of the lack of investment capital.
HOW HAS COLLABORATION HELPED THE INDUSTRY?
BUCCI: North Carolina’s collaborative spirit runs deep. Partnerships abound, not just between public and private entities but between small companies, too. We’ve written three grants — one with a university and two with other small companies — in the last six months. We support each other and work together.
EDGETON: Companies that we’re recruiting tell us about internal competition in other states. That’s not North Carolina. We work together to find the best location. We communicate across the state. Companies want a place where they can reach probability quickly. So, they need workforce, sites, support and infrastructure.
We’ve worked on some things, including Bent Creek Institute, which assists specialty crop growers and botanical medicine developers and processors. Innovation has propelled our country time and time again. North Carolina was the country’s third-poorest state in the 1950s. Today we’re among the best in a number of categories. What did we do? We worked together. We innovated. We help each other. And that’s evident to anyone we talk to.
One concern is companies needing pilot-scale manufacturing. There’s nowhere to do that domestically, so they go international. Poland bought a facility. Ireland and other countries have done it. The state that finds the solution will have a distinct advantage in growing those next companies. We need to unite and solve this problem. A pilot scale fermentation factory would give the state that next
leap forward.
Manufacturing institute BioMADE, which was borne from the Department of Defense, helps create and grow companies. After we made our BioMADE application for a bio-industrial manufacturing pilot facility, it has been a little bit one step forward, two steps back. We’ll find a solution, whether through public or private money, to make that happen. Then the world will be our oyster.
GARZA: Collaboration is at Novonesis’ core, whether building internal teams, closely collaborating with customers or finding synergies with like-minded trade organizations, educational institutions and nonprofits. We’re stronger together. In North Carolina, we work closely with NCBiotech Center and Research Triangle Regional Partnership and have established academic and research partnerships with NC State and Vance-Granville Community College. The Novo Nordisk Foundation, which is Novonesis’ owner and one of the world’s largest charity foundations, provided $30 million to NC State’s Plant Sciences Institute for agricultural research. Novonesis also made an endowment to Vance-Granville Community College. It covers tuition and books for anyone who wants a bioprocessing technician degree, whether or not they work for us. We’re co-founders of the BioWork program.
We’ve been collaborating with a coalition of North Carolina-based companies and NCBiotech to advocate for BioMADE’s infrastructure development in our state. Our aim is to establish a facility that supports food and feed-grade production, enhancing the agricultural value chain and fostering the growth of innovative food and beverage companies. This will reshore well-paying manufacturing jobs, preserve U.S. biotech research and development efforts, bolster national security by securing a domestic supply chain and support American farmers with access to new markets. Public-private partnerships are critical, and North Carolina has the pieces to take them to the next level. ■