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North Dakota touts an emerging biotechnology and life sciences industry sector. With its particular
strength in agricultural research, in addition to excellent academic resources, North Dakota is poised
for continued growth in the field.
The Peace Garden State is home to an increasing number of biotechnology and life sciences companies.
These include Agvise Laboratories in
Northwood, Aldevron LLC in Fargo, Avianax LLC in
Grand Forks, Dakota Technologies, Inc.
in Fargo, and Orion Integrated
Biosciences in Fargo, among others.
North Dakota’s life sciences industry benefits from organizations and state assistance. The North Dakota Agricultural Association, based in Fargo, offers improvement to
agri-business community members via education, safety, and legislative efforts, while promoting proper
utilization of crop production practices and products. The North Dakota Department of Commerce is the lead economic development agency in the
state, and it coordinates and focuses the state’s economic development resources by working closely
with local and regional developers. A promising development representing collaboration at the state,
private, federal, and academic levels is the Center of Excellence for Life Sciences and Advanced
Technologies (COELSAT) at the University of North
Dakota. This $12 million, 50,000 square foot (0.005 square kilometer or 0.46 hectare) facility
broke ground in 2006, and the building and research park will be managed by the UND Research Foundation
in order to develop commercial products based on life science research. COELSAT will house 34,000
square feet (0.003 square kilometers or 0.315 hectares) of laboratories and 16,000 square feet (0.001
square kilometers or 0.15 hectares) of office space, and will reside on the 19.5 acre (0.08 square
kilometer or 7.9 hectare) Research Enterprise and Commercialization Park (REAC).
North Dakota’s academic institutions provide vital research and assistance to biotechnology and life
science industry endeavors. North Dakota State
University (NDSU) in Fargo provides a wealth of research resources. NDSU offers many research
centers and institutes, including the Center
for Protease Research and the North
Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. The NDSU Research Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit organization
facilitating the transfer of scientific discoveries, technologies, products, and processes from NDSU
to the marketplace. The Foundation provides teaching, research, and public service toward this goal.
Additionally, the NDSU
Technology Transfer Office (NDSU/TTO) links the NDSU Research Foundation to the University via
successful licensing of technologies, provides financial assistance to departments and inventors,
protects intellectual property, assists in technical and market assessments, creates confidentiality
and non-disclosure agreements, and supports research efforts from industry and federal entities to aid
outside users in accessing the University’s resources. The University
of North Dakota offers its Technology Transfer
and Commercialization Office, which identifies and protects innovations and intellectual property
developed within UND schools and colleges, and aids in the commercialization of such intellectual
property.
North Dakota also benefits from research institutes. The Northern Crops Institute (NCI) in Fargo represents collaboration between North
Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, and South Dakota to support the promotion and market development of crops
grown in this area. The NCI provides a meeting and educational center encouraging international
participation to learn about northern grown crops. Additionally, NCI provides technical services for
both domestic and overseas markets. The PRACS
Institute, Ltd. provides a wealth of clinical research expertise and facilities. PRACS offers
in-house and ambulatory clinical studies, with two locations with nineteen study units, over 600
in-house beds, experience with Phase I-IV, OTC, and cosmetic/personal care research, an on-site
CLIA-certified clinical laboratory, on-site bioanalytical laboratory, statistical and medical writing
services, and information technology support services.
With its valuable resources for research and industry endeavors, North Dakota seems assured success
in the biotechnology and life sciences industry.
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