Biotech Leaders Tout Industry's Benefits

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Credit kaibara87, Flickr Creative Commons

North Carolina's biotechnology leaders want state lawmakers to maintain investment in biotech... and in education.  Maria Rapoza from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center estimates the biotech industry accounts for about 200,000 jobs and creates about 45 billion dollars in revenue for the state annually. Rapoza says, for instance, state investments in the university system over the last quarter century has helped biotech to thrive here.

"Organizations like the BTEC at NC State, the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center and also the work that community college systems has done has been vitally important in providing a trained workforce that can work in the industry."

Rapoza says North Carolina is one of the leading states in the country for biotech research and manufacturing... that's in large part because a well-trained workforce helps lure companies to locate here.