Just like Easter, visible groundhogs and the Opening Day of baseball season are symbolic rites of Spring, so is the annual Nanotechnology Commercialization Conference.

This year’s North Carolina-hosted event, which opens Tuesday, will be held at the new $100 million investment and renovated Biotech Place in downtown Winston-Salem. The conference will showcase Wake Forest University technologies with people such as Dr. Tony Atala, Dr. David Carroll and NanoMedica CEO Roger Cubicciotti among others in the Triad, across North Carolina and beyond.

This fifth annual conference is a partnership among the NC Department of Commerce, the North Carolina Office of Science & Technology, the Center of Innovation for NanoBiotechnology (COIN) and the Nanotech Commercialization Association.

While many will argue that nanotechnology is not a truly independent industry, it can still have a large impact on the state’s economy, and North Carolina is ahead of the curve among the southeastern neighbors. North Carolina is competitive with California and Massachusetts in nanobiotechnology, the intersection of advanced materials and life sciences as defined by COIN.

Products incorporating nanotech are most likely going to be an input to another industry’s products such as coatings, carriers, composites, communications or catalysis. Drug delivery (carrier) also uses coatings. Aerospace uses coatings and composites. IT and Communications devices use nanotech and microelectronics. The next generation of batteries and the energy industries are using nano for catalysis.

Even when North Carolina-based Liquidia Technologies was featured in the NY Times, the company was mentioned as a biotech company, not a nanotech company.

Resources for Nano Companies in North Carolina

North Carolina nanotech companies have made some progress in finding funding over the last five years. Liquidia is the obvious example as they have raised over $50 million dollars including from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation making an equity investment, GSK, Pappas Ventures, PPD, Wakefield Group and others. Xanofi announced an angel round and has found some international investors. Duke spinout Nanoly won the 2012 Duke Startup Challenge Business Plan competition. Blue Nano was featured as a presenting company at the 2013 SEVC conference in Charlotte last month. North Carolina resident Rob Burns has recently joined the nano related VC firm Harris and Harris. NanoMedica in Winston Salem has recently received a large Phase II SBIR grant from NIH.

North Carolina has been promoting the nanotech sector through a series of conferences and bringing in international conferences such as the MANCEF COMS Conference that brought industry professionals from 17 different countries to the Greensboro area in 2010. North Carolina has also created the Joint School of NanoScience and NanoEngineering and the NC Biotech Center created the Center of Innovation for NanoBiotechnology.

While North Carolina as a state has invested in the infrastructure for nanotechnology, the private sector results are harder to showcase as again they are often included in other industries. The first graduate of the Joint School of Nano got her first internship and first job at Kymanox, a small industry products and services firm based in RTP. The FDA has been slow to give more regulatory guidance on nanotechnology and as a result the investors have been on the sidelines for the most part. And until there is more private sector investment and regulatory guidance, the nanotech sector will struggle to show job creation as a result of this infrastructure investment.

There were some whispers of interest in funding of nano research at the Southeast Venture Philanthropy Summit last week.

North Carolina makes a real effort to move this nanotech conference around the areas of the state that have a cluster of nanotechnology with the events held in Greensboro, Winston Salem, Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte with UNC Charlotte.

Who in North Carolina Is Making an Impact?

North Carolina is once again set to showcase some of the stars of the industry. Most industry followers are familiar with the Joe DeSimone and Neal Fowler, leaders of Liquidia and with Dr. Tony Atala of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The conference will also showcase other emerging leaders and their companies. Xanofi will have a different executive on a panel but the other leaders listed below will play a major role in the conference. (The biographies below are a combination of conference listings, company web site content and personal knowledge.)

  • Ginger Rothrock – Research Triangle Institute International

While Dr. Rothrock was a co-founder in the nanotechnology company Liquidia Technologies, she is now working in the nano space in the energy industries for research powerhouse Research Triangle Institute International (RTI). Dr. Rothrock is the Program Manager for Emerging Technologies at RTI, where she is responsible for business and technical development for new strategic areas in RTI’s nanotechnology portfolio. Dr. Rothrock acts as principal investigator and program manager for a number of R&D programs for nano-enabled products in building materials, composites and controlled release systems. Dr. Rothrock gained valuable experience working at Novartis, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the EPA prior to her founding work at Liquidia

  • Miles Wright – Xanofi

Miles Wright is a well-known business leader and serial entrepreneur in the Raleigh area. His new company Xanofi has taken NC State technology to create a new way to develop nanofibers for the air filtration industry and other industries such as acoustics. Xanofi has successfully raised early stage funds and hired a small staff in the last two years with the help of new international partnerships.

  • David N. Himebaugh – Blue Nano

David N. Himebaugh, COO & President, North America. Mr. Himebaugh has 25 years of experience running his own businesses. Mr. Himebaugh brings an acute ability to define the correct strategic direction for new businesses, experience in capturing high growth opportunities while managing costs, and ethical leadership. Blue Nano is aiming to become the leader as the premier provider for silver nanowires and catalysts. Blue Nano is a nanomaterials manufacturer that develops high quality, cost effective and reliable nano-focused industrial solutions in the highest volumes available anywhere. Blue Nano serves universities, independent research labs and OEM manufacturers in a wide variety of sectors ranging from automotive to energy to healthcare.

  • Professor David L. Carroll, Ph.D. – Wake Forest University

David Carroll is a physicist and nanotechnologist, Fellow of the Society of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, and director of the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials at Wake Forest University. He has contributed to the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology through his work in nanoengineered cancer therapeutics, nanocomposite-based display and lighting technologies, and high efficiency nanocomposite photovoltaics.

Professor Carroll’s academic research is focused on the synthesis, assembly, characterization, and applications of nanostructures. He holds 12 patents. Prof. Carroll has been actively involved in four spin-off companies utilizing technologies from his labs. Prof. Carroll earned his BS in physics from NC State University and his PhD in physics from Wesleyan University.

Editor’s note: Jim Roberts was involved in starting technology entrepreneur bootcamps in Charlotte in 2000, started the entrepreneurial council and angel investor network in Asheville and has worked for NC Department of Commerce and Center of Innovation for NanoBiotechnology (COIN) since moving to the Triangle in 2008. Jim is founder of RedSpire Connections, a consulting firm for business development, lead generation, marketing and a leader of industry related events. Jim can be reached at redspire4@gmail.com and @RedSpireUSNC.