Two years ago, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center faced the possibility of a 50 percent cut in its budget. Now, the Center, which is the hub for the state’s life science industry cluster that is the third largest in the nation, may have its funding zeroed out.

“The funding for the Biotech Center is cut – 8.6m.”

So confirmed WRAL’s Chief Capitol Correspondent Laura Leslie via email early Tuesday about what the N.C. Senate is proposing in a budget disclosed Monday night.

Actually, it’s slash of $13.6 million in all since the Senate didn’t include $5 million in one-time funding as approved in the last budget. The Biotech Center is scrambling to recover, noting that the House budget includes funding.

Just two years ago, the Center, which helps fund startups and research all over the state and is a key factor to N.C.’s $73 billion life science industry, was funded at $17.2 million.

“Obviously, it’s not what we’d worked and hoped for,” Robin Deacle, vice president for communications at the Biotech Center in RTP.

The House budget as proposed contained good news for the Biotech Center: The $13.6 million would be recurring. The previous appropriation included $8.6 million in recurring and $5 million in “one-time funding,” Deacle noted.

But a zero balance would wreak havoc on the Biotech Center, which has fought big budget cuts in the past and went through layoffs as well as some reorganization{{/a} when the $17.2 million in 2013 was cut by $3.6 million.

“We continue to support and invest in promising technologies in the life science sector, and several of those technologies have hit it big this year,” Deacle said. “[Media] haschronicled them well: Parion, Bioptigen, Spyryx, Argos, AskBio. The list goes on.

“Ultimately we think the state recognizes the value we provide in catalyzing a sector that creates 61,000 jobs with an average salary of $81,000-plus.”

The Biotech Center, which operates satellite around the state, provides millions annually in grants and loans to help startups, provide equipment, and for university research.

In a recent report conducted by the Battelle consulting firm, data showed that “95 currently active portfolio companies (loan recipients) … are estimated to contribute $70 million annually in state and local revenues,” Deacle noted.

Ironically, members of the Biotech Center team are at the international BIO convention in Philadelphia this week. They are touting “the state’s $73 billion-a-year infusion to North Carolina’s economy” and call North Carolina the “SuperScieNCe'” state.

“Life science companies and institutions in North Carolina generate $73 billion in economic activity and account for 228,259 direct and indirect jobs,” a story written by NCBio contributor Barry “eater pointed out. “And while employment in the nation’s life science industry rose by 7.4 percent from 2001 to 2012, North Carolina’s grew an impressive 31 percent, even with the setbacks from the Great Recession of 2008.”

Read more at http://wraltechwire.com/just-call-north-carolina-the-superscience-state/14712307/#bXpr62fXkrA6Thtg.99