NEW YORK, Dec 15 – The North Carolina Biotechnology Center said Friday it would launch a new initiative to bring genomics professionals from the state’s universities, companies, and non-for-profit groups together in an effort to help coordinate projects and uncover opportunities for strategic alliances.
“In North Carolina there are a lot of people working on genomics, bioinformatics, and proteomics but they don’t always know what’s being done around the state,” said Barry Teater, director of corporate communications at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. “This is an effort to unite them.”
Some nine non-for-profit organizations, 11 universities, and 16 companies, including Glaxo Wellcome and IBM, have already joined the consortium, Teater said.
He said that North Carolina would invest in the initiative, although the size of the investment has not yet been determined.
The consortium would run a website and hold regular monthly meeting for its members, he said. The group might also conduct lobbying efforts.
North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt will announce the initiative at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center on Monday at 4 p.m.