RCCC’s biotechnology facility on the North Carolina Research Campus is now under construction. 

The  May 29, 2009 groundbreaking ceremony served as the symbolic start of construction of the RCCC’s  62,332 square-foot biotechnology facility.  The building will be the home of RCCC’s two associate degree programs in biotechnology and agricultural biotechnology and continuing education programs related to biotechnology and clinical research. These programs, and others RCCC will develop, will prepare local residents to meet many of the NCRC’s future workforce needs.“For every Ph.D. or MD position created by the NCRC, at least five other positions will be created for which RCCC can provide the needed education and training,” said RCCC President Carol Spalding. “RCCC’s biotechnology and other programs will provide access to local residents for career opportunities at the NCRC. These programs also will offer transferable credits for students who decide to pursue a four-year degree.”

RCCC’s building at the NCRC building will include multiple science and computer laboratories and multiple classrooms with a full array of technology. RCCC hopes to open the building in time for its fall 2010 semester, with the focus of providing instructional space for hands-on biotechnology training in a realistic research and development setting.  The 350-acre NCRC is a public-private venture created to foster collaboration and further knowledge in biotechnology, nutrition, agriculture and health. The NCRC is home of the David H. Murdock Research Institute, located within the David H. Murdock Core Laboratory, which houses the most state-of-the art scientific equipment in the areas of genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, animal and plant imaging, microscopy and structural chemistry.

See www.ncresearchcampus.net and www.dhmri.org for more information.