Biotech Manufacturers Forum

The Biotech Manufacturers Forum is a membership forum of the North Carolina Life Sciences Organization established to provide late stage clinical and commercial phase members with a vehicle to advocate for industry interests.

Key objectives are achieved by extensive interaction with North Carolina educational institutions and other government organizations to create and sustain an operating environment that is capable of supporting the interests of members and sharing knowledge and best practices that engage and facilitate the development of new and innovative ways to support business, while furthering employee career interests. Examples of such activities include to major strategic issues of common interest, such as quality, regulatory, infrastructure, safety and workforce training issues.

NCBioImpact

One key BMF activity has been its partnership with state educational institutions and North Carolina’s Golden LEAF Foundation to establish NCBioImpact. This is a consortium of North Carolina universities, community colleges, companies and nonprofit organizations working together to expand the availability of hands-on education and training opportunities for workers in biomanufacturing technologies and biotech companies.

Launched with more than $65 million in capital and start-up funding from the Golden LEAF and industry sources, NCBioImpact institutions provide one of the world’s most comprehensive programs for biomanufacturing and pharmaceutical education and training, including programs addressing biomanufacturing, drug discovery and development, and agricultural biotechnology. NCBioImpact has been instrumental in attracting hundreds of millions of dollars of corporate investment in biomanufacturing and related business operations to North Carolina. BMF members continue to provide guidance and in-kind support to NCBioImpact partners in the operation of programs and creation of new curriculum.

Advocacy

BMF has also been active in a variety of other policy areas affecting biomanufacturing activities in North Carolina. Working in collaboration with NCLifeSci’s state advocacy staff, BMF has supported reductions in state energy taxes, successfully addressed other tax proposals detrimental to the biomanufacturing industry and effectively opposed duplicative and costly regulatory initiatives affecting biotech and pharmaceutical manufacturing operations. BMF also interacts with the NC Biotechnology Center, the NC Department of Commerce and other state economic development entities such as the Economic Development Partnership of NC to support expansion and recruitment of biomanufacturing facilities. NCLifeSci has worked with the NC Biotechnology Center in producing the Window on the Workplace surveys that look on the growth and jobs in the biomanufacturing industry.

Leadership

BMF leadership consists of representatives from such internationally prominent companies as Biogen, Fujifilm Diosynth, Grifols, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Novozymes, Novartis, Pfizer and Seqirus. The forum’s staff is led by Bill Monteith, whose experience includes biomanufacturing and pharmaceutical manufacturing operations management. Other staff members include professionals with backgrounds in education, business, and policy advocacy.

Meetings

Meeting topics for the BMF’s quarterly meetings have included

• Risk management
• Lean Six Sigma
• Working with millennials
• Advanced biopharmaceutical manufacturing 
• Session with NC Legislative Life Sciences Caucus co-chairs on the needs of industry
• Review of North Carolina’s latest Strategic Economic Development Plan by NC Commerce Secretary Machelle Sanders, a former site leader for Biogen)

The BMF has hosted safety summits for member companies and has held two diversity events for members. NCLifeSci, and BMF are currently working with The Diversity Movement, a consulting company, to conduct a diversity survey and listening sessions with members to provide an action plan for BMF and NCLifeSci to provide information and resources to companies on diversity issues. NCLifeSci is the trade association for the life science industry in North Carolina. NCLifeSci is North Carolina's state-level affiliate of the national Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). Together, the two groups advocate for federal, state and local public policies designed to help the bioscience industry fulfill its extraordinary promise as a source of economic opportunity and improved life quality. For more information, contact Bill Monteith at BillMonteith@NCLifeSci.org or Jenae Williams at JenaeWilliams@NCLifeSci.org. 

Dues