Three questions for John Cdhaffee

BT Catalyst,  Nov-Dec, 2003  

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JOHN CHAFFEE is executive director of the Pitt County Development Commission, which recruits new industry to Greenville and Pitt County while supporting existing industry. The commission aims to promote job growth, industrial diversity and an expansion of the local tax base. It has been involved in local efforts to encourage the start-up of technology-based businesses, investing $3 million in the Technology Enterprise Center, a business incubator, since 1997.

In this interview, Chaffee discusses challenges facing the biotechnology industry in eastern North Carolina and the impact that East Carolina University, Pitt Community College and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center will have in the development of the industry in the eastern part of the state.

What are the greatest challenges facing eastern North Carolina's biotechnology community, and what can be done to meet those challenges?

First and foremost, gaining recognition that good science is taking place in the eastern part of the state is crucial to developing our biotechnology community, and we are making progress. In order to continue this progression, we need to communicate effectively to state leaders the level of research that is taking place in our universities and biotech companies. Many people don't realize that thousands of people are employed in the biopharma industry right here in eastern North Carolina--in manufacturing, contract research organizations and other service providers--and we need to do a better job of relating that presence. Members of our biotech and political communities need to get involved, and we need to participate actively in conferences and other activities associated with the biopharma industry. It is important that we have a well-educated and appropriately trained workforce and we need partnerships to be able to succeed. We need to develop regional partnerships and connect with people in the Triangle to grow this industry. We need resources like patent attorneys and venture capitalists from the Triangle to move forward. Although we're talking about promoting the growth of a high- tech industry, it is noteworthy that good basic infrastructure like good roads between communities is critical. To meet all of the challenges that I have mentioned, we need promotion, partnership, improved accessibility, and participation.

What role will East Carolina University and Pitt Community College play in the development of biotechnology in the eastern part of the state?

We view East Carolina University as the "genesis" of our biotechnology companies and as a real catalyst where science is taking place. ECU is critically important in our overall scheme of developing a technology sector in the East and in developing a skilled workforce that is capable of filling positions in the life sciences. ECU is both the foundation and the capstone--providing science teachers, conducting basic research and providing the high-end employees needed to support the industry. We have biotechnology education at the undergraduate, master's and Ph.D. levels, which is very unique and not offered all over the state.

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Pitt Community College and its consortium of nine other colleges in the region are vital as we see more jobs created in biotechnology and biologics production. We not only need production workers, but we need welltrained lab technicians as well. We are working on the articulation of courses to encourage the movement of students from high school, to community college, to the university. We are one of a very few areas in North Carolina to develop curriculum at all levels. In our high schools, we have developed a Health Sciences Academy, which is being used as a model for the entire state in our public schools. The curriculum is geared to the medical/health sciences profession. After taking these courses, students can advance to Pitt Community College to get a two-year biotechnology degree and then transfer to ECU to obtain a four-year or advanced degree in biotechnology. This training is invaluable and imperative in recruiting and developing the biotechnology/biologics industry in eastern North Carolina.

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We're also working on a collaborative effort to offer a GMP/GLP class to our community college and university students as a component of their education. This effort is being led by ECU faculty with support from Pitt Community College and our area industries.

How will having a satellite office of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center help eastern North Carolina?

First, let me say that the North Carolina Biotechnology Center has already done so much for eastern North Carolina and our development. The Center has provided grants and loans for research and discovery, training for faculty members at East Carolina University and Pitt Community College, and the purchase of materials. Without the seed money from the Center that we received in this area for biotechnology labs, companies and community colleges, we would have never been able to develop like we already have. The networking value of being partnered with the Center and the educational value learned from spending time with many members of the staff is incalculable.