North Carolina appears to have a rich life science sales market when taking into account recent life science funding statistics. North Carolina Biotechnology Center in particular gave $2.9 million in loans and grants to life science companies and researchers during this second fiscal quarter. North Carolina Biotechnology Center has been funding life science researchers and startups since 1984, helping to make North Carolina the third largest biotechnology cluster in the United States. Ten different programs received awards based on entrepreneurship, technology and education. North Carolina now hosts over 500 life science companies and 58,000 employees who earn an average salary greater than $78,000.
According to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center website, the second quarter’s $2.9 million in loans and grants have been distributed as follows:
- $250,000 for a Strategic Growth Loan
- $390,160 for Small Business Research Loans
- $1,170,061 for Multidisciplinary Research Grants
- $100,000 for Company Inception Loans
- $50,000 for an Economic Development Award
- $195,525 for Collaborative Funding Grants
- $50,000 for a Technology Enhancement Grant
- $700,000 for a Centers of Innovation Grant Tranche
- $7,341 for Biotechnology Event Sponsorships
- $14,700 for Biotechnology Meeting Grants
One product awarded life science funding was developed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Biodeptronix is working towards creating a portable air-quality monitoring device that utilizes lung cells to study how airborne pollutants impact air quality. Air quality research in urban and industrial areas in particular will benefit from this device. Another University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill technology was developed by Qualiber. North Carolina Biotechnology Center gave the company a $75,000 loan to work out a system for long-term storage and manufacturing of a nanoparticle cancer drug-delivery system.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
In addition to these University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill- based products, a UNC-Chapel Hill researcher was awarded $300,000 for his studies of the underlying processes in platelet activation at sites of vascular injury. Wolfgang Bergmeier’s research may help in the development of a groundbreaking anti-platelet drug and better treatment for cardiovascular problems such as heart attack and stroke.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was ranked 11th by the NSF in 2010 for total R&D expenditures in the life sciences, having spent a total of $422 million. In 2011, the NIH ranked the university 13th for direct plus indirect costs, excluding R&D expenditures and ARRA awards, making the total $339.5 million. According to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill website, the university has also pledged over $245 million in life science funding over ten years towards genomics research. The NIH has pledged $45 million in life science funding to create genomics centers at UNC-Chapel Hill and the Medical College of Wisconsin.
If you are a biotechnology vendor or lab supplier interested in learning more about the life science sales market at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. invites you to attend our annual Chapel Hill BioResearch Product Faire™ Front Line Event held on May 8th, 2013. Last year, the Chapel Hill BioResearch Product Faire™ Front Line Event was visited by 87 attendees. Of those who attended, 37 were purchasing agents, professors, and post docs, and 15 were lab managers. The event visitors came from 14 different research buildings and 25 departments across campus.
To view funding statistics for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, click on the button below. If you are interested in learning about a life science sales market closer to home, we encourage you to check out our 2013 calendar of events.
