BIOSCIENCES MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE

Two recent reports provide evidence of the value of the biosciences industry to the North Carolina economy in general, and to the Research Triangle Park (RTP), specifically, said Dr. Richard Kouri, professor of practice and director of the BioSciences Management Initiative in Poole College.

“The first is a report by the Battelle Technology Partnership Practice entitled 2012 Evidence and Opportunity: Biotechnology Impacts in North Carolina. This report concludes that North Carolina is third in the nation in the size of its biosciences cluster, behind only California and Massachusetts. The report states that in North Carolina, the biotech sector supports 237,665 jobs, whose salaries total $14.8 billion per year. Over the past 10 years, the growth of this sector in the state is faster than any other major biosciences state, and 3.5 times greater than the overall U.S. biosciences growth,” he said.

“The second report is the Life Sciences Cluster Report from Jones Lang LaSalle. This report ranks the Research Triangle Park (RTP) area as the fourth biggest life sciences cluster in the U.S. and the area with the largest jump in the ranking over the past three years (up five spots). Interestingly, the RTP area was ranked first in life sciences establishments – reflecting the large numbers of small start-ups and incubator groups being created in our area,” Kouri said.

“Our own BioSciences Management program has had a role in some of the above activities,” he said. “We have over 200 of our graduates in biosciences companies in North Carolina. We have interacted with over 40 local biosciences companies via our company-sponsored projects, involving over 100 students, and our courses have hosted presentations by over 30 company managers who provide a level of insight to our students that is unmatched by any other business school,” Kouri said.

“Some of our new tools; for example, creating market and technology maps using big data analytics, are now a big part of the new projects our students are doing for our company partners. The Poole College of Management is a critical partner with the N.C.-based biosciences industry,” he said.

Kouri has led the college’s engagement with leaders in this sector through the BioSciences Management Initiative (BioSci) which was launched shortly after he arrived in 2006, to manage the Jenkins MBA program’s biosciences management curriculum.

He changed the concentration’s focus from biopharma to biosciences management, to more accurately reflect the spectrum of disciplines within this industry sector, and restructured the college’s annual BioSciences Forum to feature three to four speakers representing the different biosciences fields. Since 2004, the Forum, held on the last Friday of each month, has been a popular venue for industry leaders to discuss current issues in biosciences management. The BioSciences Management Industry Advisory Board helps assure that this Jenkins MBA concentration is aligned with industry needs.

Drawing on his extensive background in biosciences entrepreneurship, Kouri collaborates with leading companies in the industry to provide both speakers and practicum projects for students in the biosciences management concentration, which includes Jenkins MBA students and students in NC State’s Master of Microbial Biotechnology (MMB) and Jenkins MBA dual degree program.

Classroom presenters in spring 2013 range from senior leadership team members at Biogen Idec’s U.S. and global operations, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, and GlaxoSmithKline to a family physician in a regional healthcare system that is not a health insurance system participant. Kouri also is faculty advisor to the Biosciences Club at NC State, which includes students at both the Jenkins MBA and NC State’s MMB programs.

The BioSciences Management Initiative is based in the college’s Department of Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship and includes faculty from several disciplines, including marketing, innovation management, business law, and supply chain management. Affiliated faculty members are Dr. Lynda Aiman-Smith, Dr. David Henard, Dr. Steve Barr, Donavon Favre, Dr. Cecil Bozarth, Dr. Michael Kowolenko, Dr. Stephen Markham, Paul Mugge, Sam Straight, and Dr. Stephan Schanz. 

Return to the State of the College 2013 Industry Connections