Wonder of the world: North Carolina's reputation for research, workforce and quality of life attracts international biotechnology companies.

• Position: BIOTECHNOLOGY ROUND TABLE

NORTH CAROLINA'S biotechnology sector is strong and diverse. It includes almost 700 companies. While about 450 are concentrated in the Triangle, many are outposts for companies that are headquartered around the world. Business North Carolina magazine recently assembled a panel of biotechnology experts, including some who work for such companies. They offered insight into why international companies are attracted to the state and offered recommendations on how to keep their attention.

TERRI LOMAX executive vice president of discovery-science-technology, Research Triangle Park-based RTI International

THOMAS MURPHY director of bioenergy business operations, Franklinton-based Novozymes North America, a unit of Denmark-based Novozymes AS

JOHN DONOFRIO chief financial officer and head of North America business development, Raleigh-based Merz North America Inc., a unit of Germany-based Merz Pharma Group

JOHN CAVANAGH interim president, Kannapolis-based David H. Murdock Research Institute

DOUG EDGETON CEO and president, Research Triangle Park-based North Carolina Biotechnology Center

SAMUEL TAYLOR president, Research Triangle-based trade association North Carolina Biosciences Organization

The discussion was moderated by Ben Kinney, Business North Carolina publisher. It was hosted by the N.C. Biotechnology Center, which also provided support. The transcript was edited for brevity and clarity.

WHAT MAKES NORTH CAROLINA A GLOBAL LEADER IN BIOTECHNOLOGY?

EDGETON starts with the university and community-college systems, which are known worldwide. As the universities grew, so did their intellectual property. They commercialized it, while the community colleges focused on training workers. Companies want an educated and skilled workforce. They want access to resources--land, talent, money, technology, quality of life. North Carolina has all of them, which has propelled it in the global marketplace the last 20 years. RTP is one more important ingredient in that mix. It took time to build, but the federal government, [Armonk, N.Y.-based] IBM Corp., [England-based] GlaxoSmithKline PLC, RTI International and others with global ties found homes there, and their presence helps draw even more international attention. At a recent conference organized by the [North Carolina] Biotech Center, I spoke to people from Switzerland and several states. They mentioned North Carolina's quality of life several times. Boston is a biotechnology hub. It is wonderful but cold and expensive. North Carolina shares many of its business attributes, but they cost less here.

DONOFRIO I spent 22 years at GSK. The people we recruited loved Raleigh's quality of life, weather and educational opportunities. But it wasn't a big city. That was about 2005, when locals didn't go downtown. People can't wait to go downtown today. Developments such as mixed-use Glenwood South District, the convention center and other attractions have made a difference. They are the big-city amenities that recruits want, whether they are single, empty nesters or have a family.

TAYLOR We recently hosted a panel discussion featuring [Germany-based] BASF SE, [Switzerland-based] Syngenta International AG and Bayer Crop-Science, a unit of [Germany-based] Bayer AG. We asked, "Why North Carolina?" One interesting answer was its time zone. It's...