Proving the persistent presence of the manufacturing industry in the state’s economic development are eight experts. Questions related to manufacturing covered these topics: its current state, how it has changed, how it recruits and develops workers, what can help sustain it, how can federal initiatives help it, and how it will change over the next two decades. Their responses collectively indicate the important role community colleges play in its development, changes in business ethics, and need for ongoing technological advancements.
The life sciences sector provides job growth for areas such as research, development, and manufacturing. It also fuels funding ventures such as business loans from the Biotech Center. Collectively, this data measures the economic and occupational impact this sector makes on North Carolina.
For over fifty years, Research Triangle Park has been a major contributor to the development of the Raleigh-Durham. Now, the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina, the nonprofit organization that operates the park area, is implementing plans to revitalize the park and make it more attractive to new residents.
With the Durham side of the Research Triangle Park almost built out, 2,400 acres have been opened, mostly in Wake County. New tenants include Biogen, Cisco, Corning Bio, Ericsson, and NetEdge Systems.
Cisco Systems, a $1.9 billion company located in Research Triangle Park, is the leading global supplier of hardware and software to access the Internet and to improve linkage of small computers with mainframe computers.