North Carolina’s life science history and future were front and center at Thursday’s windup of the 2013 CED Life Science Conference.

The state’s most recently elected governor, Pat McCrory, kicked off the final day of the two-day annual gathering of the clan with a promise to the entrepreneurs and innovators in his audience that he’ll fight any policies that inhibit entrepreneurship and innovation.

The windup luncheon event, by contrast, featured the state’s most frequently elected governor, Jim Hunt, who is routinely acknowledged as the father of the state’s technology prowess.

McCrory said he sees North Carolina’s life-sciences industry playing a major role in improving the state’s economy as well as its healthcare system. He said he intends to bring together all the facets of the healthcare industry to reduce costs and improve care.

He called for “one voice” from the various factions, because right now, “We’re all talking past each other.” McCrory promised that his administration would take a “more strategic approach” to grant and funding processes from the state to grow the sector.

Ingram Honored for Life-Science Leadership

Hunt’s remarks were part of his introduction of Bob Ingram, former chairman and CEO of GlaxoWellcome who is now a general partner with Hatteras Venture Partners. Ingram received the Life Science Leadership Award for his service to the field since his arrival in North Carolina in 1991.

As governor, Hunt was instrumental in establishing the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina, and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM). The state is now third in the nation in biotechnology and also a national leader in information technology and related fields.

The historical vision of Hunt’s tenure was especially highlighted by a presentation from two NCSSM students, who dazzled the audience with a prize-winning science project several steps removed from the paper mache volcano of yore.

Students Morgan Howell and Param Sidhu, semifinalists in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology, described their work with mentors from their Durham boarding school and nearby Duke University, in developing “a high-throughput optogenetic toolkit for screening of medical genetic therapeutic targets.”

The brilliance was not lost on the day’s featured speaker, Jack Szostak, Ph.D., recipient of the 2009 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine. Szostak discussed his research experiences and their translation to commercial enterprizes.

McCrory Pledges Support

McCrory said that in his tenure as governor, the state will be looking to reward innovative and creative venture capitalists to grow businesses in this industry.

“We need to send a signal to your industry that there is long-term sustainability for investment,” he told the nearly 800 audience members from across the state and beyond.

Crucial to that sustainability, he said, are partnerships between public and private entities, such as companies partnering with universities, where much of the innovative research originates to drive the life-sciences industry. “We have to fight policies that discourage innovation,” he said.

McCrory used the platform to remind those in the audience from outside the state, that North Carolina is a hotbed for “incredible research,” and is one of few states to balance numerous business opportunities in the life-sciences with high quality of life. “Once you come here, you’ll never want to leave,” he said.

Editor’s note: Jim Shamp is director of public relations for the NC Biotech Center, and Jeremy Summers writes for the center.

(C) NC Biotech Center