Bill would give $3 million to community colleges for biotechnology

The state's community colleges are receiving increased support from around the state to develop biotechnology programs.

Legislators believe the industry is important for the economy of the state, said Sen. R.C. Soles, D- Brunswick.

A bill before the N.C. Senate seeks to appropriate $3 million for the Community College System, intended primarily for Southeastern Community College in Columbus County.

Though the $3 million is not intended solely for the community college's biotech program, biotechnology is the primary reason SCC is receiving the money, said Soles, who proposed the bill.

"We want to train students and workers so that we can have a qualified work force for the biotech industry," he said. "We want biotech companies to come to the area, and they won't come unless we have a trained work force."

Biotechnology is the future of the state's economy, Soles said.

"We've lost most of our manufacturing and textile jobs; tobacco is gone," he said. "We have to do something about the state of business in our state, or we're going to have a state with no business."

The legislature would not be the only group to provide the growing industry with funds.

The Golden LEAF Foundation and the N.C. Community College System BioNetwork are two organizations helping counties that have fallen under economic distress because of the shift away from tobacco, manufacturing and textiles.

Golden LEAF is a nonprofit organization that receives half of the money from the settlement agreement with cigarette manufacturers in 1999 and has dedicated it to the transition of the state's economy. It has given much of its money to UNC-system schools and community colleges.

"Golden LEAF has been very supportive of biotech research," said Sarah Smith, contracts and grants manager for the UNC system. "They are very involved in the state and the community college system."

The community college system's BioNetwork program is funded by Golden LEAF.

"BioNetwork was created to raise the bar on the training of people for the biotech industry," said Norman Smit, BioNetwork marketing and recruitment director.

Improving the state's biotech industry depends on the contribution of area community colleges.

"Seventy percent of the jobs that are created annually to sustain the biotech industry in North Carolina are trained at the community college level," Smit said.

"You need community college-level training to get a job."

Golden LEAF and BioNetwork award three rounds of grants each year to community colleges. If all pending grants are awarded on March 3, the organization will have given out $6.8 million in the past year.

The grants provide community colleges with the money to advance their curriculum, faculty, equipment and facilities.

Community colleges recognized the need for trained biotechnology technicians and began action to fill that need, said Rebecca Westbrooks, a biology instructor at SCC.

"There's just not a lot of industry in this area," she said. "Hopefully, people in the Research Triangle will see that there are other areas developing the technology as well."

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