Merck Partners with NCA&T for New N.C. Biotechnology Training Center
June 21, 2023
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A planned biotechnology training center at Gateway Research Park’s South Campus in East Greensboro will provide a new pathway for students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University to achieve careers in the biopharma industry.
A collaboration between NCA&T and pharma giant Merck, the new training center will further strengthen the Tar Heel state’s workforce development capabilities in the biopharma industry.
The new training center is a 4,025-square-foot facility that is expected to be completed in 2024. Some of the A&T students who come through this training center will no doubt find future employment with Merck, which operates five different facilities in North Carolina, including a recent addition to the company’s Maurice R. Hilleman Center for Vaccine Manufacturing in nearby Durham that increased the company’s capability to produce for TICE BCG, a medicine for the treatment of certain forms of bladder cancer.
Amanda Taylor, plant manager for the Merck Manufacturing Division site in Durham, said the future facility at Gateway Research Park will allow students to develop “science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills through hands-on applications in manufacturing and research.”
Under terms of the newly-announced center at A&T, Merck will provide the necessary equipment that will be used in the training facility to educate students for future roles in the industry. The training facility will include a process laboratory that gives students the hands-on experience that will allow them to immediately contribute to companies that need their skills.
Additionally, the new training center will be used by Merck to train new and existing employees in proper vaccine manufacturing processes.
For NCA&T, the partnership with Merck will bolster its existing biotechnology and bioengineering degree and certificate programs in the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering. NCA&T is also in the process of developing a new department, the Department of Defense-funded Center of Excellence in Biotechnology.
“This forward-thinking partnership housed on the Gateway Research campus emphasizes both N.C. A&T and Merck’s commitment to optimize and develop innovative ideas in collaborative facilities that will not only benefit health outcomes, but will strengthen our impact in the research ecosystem for this region and state going forward,” North Carolina A&T Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. said in a brief statement.
Multiple companies have invested in workforce development programs across North Carolina. Earlier this year, Novo Nordisk, which operates three manufacturing facilities in North Carolina, provided a $6 million donation to Durham Technical Community College and the BioWork Certificate that can be earned from the Biotechnology Manufacturing program. The finances will be used to support the construction and outfitting of a new 35,000-square-foot Life Sciences Training Center that will train a new generation of talent.
Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly has also established multiple workforce partnerships across North Carolina, including the Lilly Science and Technology Center at Wake Technical Community College. Last year, Eli Lilly contributed $1.1 million to support biotech and life sciences programs at the state’s largest community college. In addition to supporting workforce development training, Eli Lilly also expanded its own manufacturing capabilities in North Carolina. Earlier this year, the company invested $450 million to expand its manufacturing facilities in Research Triangle Park. That expansion included the addition of 100 jobs as the company expects to increase the availability of its diabetes medications.
The Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) at N.C. State University is also helping build the biotech workforce of tomorrow in the Tar Heel State. BTEC is a cross-disciplinary center that provides educational and training opportunities for the biomanufacturing industry. The center also offers bioprocess development and analytical services to a wide range of customers from academia and industry.
The combined capabilities of these workforce development programs is paving the way for a strong future for biotech, pharma and medtech companies that operate in Research Triangle Park and beyond. North Carolina is home to 810 life sciences companies that employ 75,000 people. RTP was ranked 9th in Genetic Engineering News’ annual top 10 biopharma clusters report released in 2022.
