$80M to Universities for Biotech Cultivation
To date, the Biotechnology Center has awarded $80 million in grants to universities for equipment, research and faculty recruitment. Just the nearly $10 million invested in faculty recruitment has returned $363 million in additional research dollars, mostly from the federal government. The Center works with technology transfer offices at major North Carolina universities to bring the technology to light in the business world.
150 Bioscience Patents Granted Yearly
North Carolina scientists – at universities and companies small and large – file around 150 patent applications yearly. In addition to providing access to seminars about patents and trademarks to benefit new patent seekers, the Center provides a number of patent research aids, which are available for free or for limited cost in our library.
Research Touches Agriculture, Human Health and the Environment
Since its founding in 1984, the Biotechnology Center has promoted agricultural biotechnology by awarding more than $11 million in ag-related grants and loans. North Carolina is also known throughout the world for its health care – not only for its hospitals and clinics but also for its research labs and manufacturing plants. Several human health medicines and treatments on the market came from biotechnology and pharmaceutical research companies based in the state. North Carolina's environmental biotech efforts include the removal and detection of environmental hazards, restoration of endangered plant species, and the use of biosafe alternative to harsh industrial chemicals.
Recruitment of Outstanding Faculty to NC Universities
More than two decades ago, the Biotechnology Center first began its recruitment of outstanding bioscience faculty to North Carolina universities. Since that time, 52 outstanding scientists have been recruited to the state with nearly $10 million in funding from our Faculty Recruitment Grants. Oliver Smithies, one of seven high-profile scientists recruited to UNC-Chapel Hill in 1987, received the 2007 Nobel Prize.