Charlotte emerges as growing hub in NC’s biomanufacturing ecosystem

Despite the attention that the Raleigh-Cary and Durham-Chapel Hill areas garner, Charlotte is emerging as an increasingly important part of North Carolina’s broader biomanufacturing landscape, driven by expanding workforce and education initiatives, strong logistics infrastructure anchored by an international airport, and its strategic position alongside the Tar Heel State’s more established life sciences clusters.

Those dynamics are helping define how the Charlotte region fits into the state’s broader biopharma ecosystem, which includes Research Triangle Park and eastern North Carolina, according to Corie Curtis, executive director of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBiotech), a private, non-profit corporation supporting the economic development of life sciences technologies in the state through innovation, commercialization, education, and business growth.

Curtis described Charlotte — a major financial hub and the most populous city in North Carolina — as an “eclectic” life sciences region already spanning a wide range of industries, including medtech and medical device development and manufacturing, clinical research, among others. As investment continues to flow into the area, she said Charlotte’s strengths are becoming more clearly defined within North Carolina’s broader life sciences identity amid ongoing efforts domestically to bolster biopharma production.

The expanding presence of pharmaceutical organizations in and around the region — which includes companies like Eli Lilly, Milestone Pharmaceuticals — are reinforcing Charlotte’s growth within the state’s biopharma ecosystem.

Talent and workforce growth

With nearly 34,000 employees at 108 biopharma manufacturing sites, North Carolina is home to one of the largest concentrations of biologics and pharmaceutical manufacturers in the world, according to NCBiotech. Curtis added that more than half of those working in North Carolina’s life sciences industry are employed in the biopharma sector and noted how Charlotte is playing a growing role in strengthening that statewide base.

NCBiotech is working with regional partners to align life sciences recruitment and workforce development strategies across the Charlotte region and surrounding counties, according to Cutis. She pointed to growing interest from site selectors and developers in counties just outside the Charlotte metro itself, including Cabarrus, Rowan, Union, and Catawba counties.

“The counties that flank Mecklenburg County, where Charlotte is located, we’re seeing a lot of that development based on what those regional economic development organizations are pursuing,” she said.

A representative from Eli Lilly said its $2 billion investment in the Charlotte-Concord region will play a key role in its long-term commitment to expanding U.S. manufacturing capacity and strengthening domestic pharmaceutical supply chains. The company pointed to the region’s manufacturing talent base, life sciences ecosystem, and proximity to major STEM institutions as key factors behind the investment.

Charlotte’s growing population and quality of life are also helping attract and retain talent, which are central to the area’s strengths, according to Joseph Oliveto, CEO of Milestone Pharmaceuticals, a Canadian commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company that provides cardiology products to market with a U.S. subsidiary in Charlotte.

He described Charlotte as a growing talent base for biopharma and biotech and a great place to attract people.

Curtis reinforced this by noting that, on average, 157 people move to the Charlotte region every day.

“It’s an attractive metro to want to live in,” she said. “There’s a stickiness to it. People don’t just move here, they stay here.”

Education and ecosystem development

The region’s attractiveness has also fueled major investments in education and innovation infrastructure designed to strengthen the long-term life sciences talent pipeline.

Last year, Atrium Health and Wexford Science & Technology opened The Pearl Innovation District, a 20-acre hub for medical education, research, and innovation in uptown Charlotte. The development includes the Charlotte campus of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the city’s first four-year medical school. The Pearl is anticipated to generate more than 5,500 on-site jobs and over 11,500 jobs regionally over the next 15 years.

While much of the early attention surrounding The Pearl has focused on medical research, surgical training, and medtech innovation, Curtis said the broader ecosystem effects could extend into biopharma manufacturing and related sectors as the district matures.

“The way they’ve characterized The Pearl Innovation District is as a super magnet for companies to want to be in Charlotte,” she said, emphasizing the opportunities it also creates for biopharma. “Not to mention the logistics and the infrastructure.”

Oliveto of Milestone said developments like The Pearl contribute to a broader perception that Charlotte’s life sciences ecosystem is becoming more interconnected and mature.

“I would love for more biotech to come here,” he said. “But until they do, I think we’re going to be the ones representing and trying to kind of pay it forward.”

A representative from Lilly emphasized the importance of partnerships with universities, economic development organizations, as well as state and local governments in supporting long-term manufacturing growth in the region, noting that the company’s operations are designed to scale alongside the communities supporting them.

Logistics and operational advantages

Beyond workforce readiness, industry leaders pointed to logistics infrastructure as one of Charlotte’s most significant competitive advantages.

“After workforce readiness, logistics infrastructure is among the most critical factors for life sciences manufacturers,” Curtis said. “The Greater Charlotte Region is fortunate to have deep expertise in logistics, and that strength is a significant asset for growing the life sciences sector.” She added that Charlotte’s broader transportation and distribution capabilities help support companies managing complex supply chains, particularly those coordinating manufacturing and commercialization activities across multiple regions.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport has become a major operational advantage for companies coordinating distributed manufacturing, commercialization, and supply chain activities.

Oliveto added that Charlotte has provided Milestone with “a very pragmatic and efficient way to operate through development.”

That approach, he explained, has allowed Milestone to maintain a centralized culture and decision-making structure while efficiently coordinating with remote employees, manufacturing partners, and collaborators across North Carolina and internationally.

“We are really right down the road from the Triangle,” he said. “There is a little bit of an advantage to having team members that are a drive away rather than a flight away.”

At the same time, he said Charlotte’s airport connectivity has allowed the company to efficiently manage relationships with partners and suppliers across the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

“The airport is a huge benefit,” Oliveto added. “It allows us to be very efficient rather than spending a half day to a day getting to any one location.”

Growing interest in the region

Curtis said interest in the Charlotte region from pharmaceutical and life sciences companies has steadily increased over the last several years, even if activity remains smaller in scale compared to more established North Carolina markets.

“This region has seen increased interest, and it has been fairly consistent,” she said.

That interest has come from a wide range of companies, including large pharmaceutical manufacturers, CMOs/CDMOs, and supply chain and support organizations.

“Given the region encompasses a significant metro, one of the busiest airports in the nation, and surrounding counties with a history of manufacturing, interest has come from diverse companies,” Curtis said.

She added that contract manufacturing and nutraceutical production are especially strong fits for the region today, while newer ecosystem assets could eventually position Charlotte as an attractive location for CROs and biologics activity as well.

“CMOs/CDMOs and nutraceuticals are a strong fit currently for this region,” she said. “As some of the region’s newer assets evolve, we could also be a strong fit for CROs and biologics.”