BioBusiness Center
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The BioBusiness Center supports business development for start-up life science companies across North Carolina through local, regional and statewide partnerships and collaborations. Among North Carolina's community colleges, the Center sponsors conferences and delivers training programs to support the Small Business Center Network, continuing educators, industry training officials and life science faculty. The Center also provides technical support resources for the statewide network of Small Business Centers, focusing on ways to commercialize technologies for life science industries. |
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BioBusiness Center
The Center has established collaborations with industry and economic development officials throughout North Carolina. Current active industry support collaborations focus on traditional biotechnology and life science companies, organic, local and sustainable agriculture, biofuels and the natural products industry sectors. Among the many collaborators the Center partners with are AdvantageWest, Blue Ridge Food Ventures, Gaia Herbs, Biofuels Center of NC, the NC Biodiesel, Herb and Natural Products Associations, NCSU's Mountain Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center, the Small Business Technology and Development Center, and the Western Region Education Service Alliance.
A wide range of topics are covered by Center classes, workshops and seminars, including business development, natural products for consumers, as well as continuing education programs for registered nurses. Since 2006, over two thousand students have attended these programs, delivered at community colleges in every region of the State.
The Center also provides analytical testing services for botanical constituent quantification as well as identification and speciation of medicinal herbs through its Natural Products Laboratory (NPL). These analyses are preformed using High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Gas Chromatography (GC) and/or Mass Spectrometry (MS) and other techniques. The NPL also provides rentable lab space for individuals and companies interested in product research, testing and development. Additionally the NPL also offers several courses covering current good manufacturing practices (cGMP), documentation, conducting investigations, quality control, laboratory operations, and management responsibilities. Overall, the NPL assists companies in preparing to meet cGMP and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations for dietary supplements.
Center staff also engages in outreach with schools, civic groups and community stakeholders. The staff works with public schools and early college students, providing career fairs as well as in-class programs and teacher support. Active educational collaborations include those with Appalachian State University, Livingstone College, University of North Carolina at Asheville, and Western Carolina University.