NCBiotech Summit at ECU connects industry, research and workforce leaders
- ECU hosted the NCBiotech Summit 2026: Eastern Region bringing more than 200 life sciences, education and economic development leaders to Greenville, highlighting ECU’s role in the state’s growing life sciences industry.
- ECU students and researchers are connected with life sciences employers, research opportunities and emerging technologies as the industry expands across Eastern North Carolina.
More than 200 life sciences leaders, researchers, educators and economic development officials gathered at East Carolina University, putting Greenville at the center of a statewide conversation about the growing life sciences industry and its expanding role in Eastern North Carolina.
The NCBiotech Summit 2026: Eastern Region brought representatives from companies and organizations including ECU Health, BioPharma Crescent, Sia/Latham BioPharm Group, Amgen Therapeutics, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Catalent Pharma Solutions and Johnson & Johnson to campus to discuss the region’s role in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, research, innovation and workforce development.
Those connections are especially important for ECU and the region as research continues to create new opportunities in the life sciences. By hosting the summit, ECU is putting its students studying life sciences and related fields at the center of those conversations while helping them better understand where their degrees can take them and how they can contribute to the region’s growing life sciences economy.
Attendees gather for the NCBiotech Summit 2026: Eastern Region at East Carolina University.
Krizay Elenitoba-Johnson, M.S., chief operations officer for Nipro Medical, said Eastern North Carolina’s location gives ECU students an important connection to the life sciences activity taking place across the state.
“The proximity of Greenville to the Research Triangle Park region is a very important connection for relevance with regards to how that student grows in a life sciences rich environment,” Elenitoba-Johnson said. “Having so many great companies within a radius of the university creates that osmotic knowledge transfer that really makes this place very unique for any student there.”
It’s those connections that can provide students with greater exposure to employers, professional networks, research opportunities and experience as the industry continues to evolve.
That growth is part of a larger expansion of North Carolina’s life sciences sector. The state has about 860 life sciences companies supporting approximately 103,000 jobs and generating about $82 billion in annual economic activity, according to information presented during the summit. Since 2022, 91 new life sciences economic development projects have been announced in North Carolina, representing more than 10,000 jobs and approximately $19 billion in investment.
The scale of the industry was reflected throughout the summit, which included discussions on the state of North Carolina’s life sciences sector, opportunities for collaboration and innovation, the NCGrads2Work program and efforts to address workforce needs. Speakers also examined the growing role of artificial intelligence and immersive technology in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Among the day’s strongest connections were two discussions that looked at the future from different directions: one focused on how research can lead to new partnerships and innovation, and another on how artificial intelligence and immersive technology are changing pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Together, they illustrated the path from discovery to real-world application.
Michael Waldrum, president and CEO of ECU Health and dean of the Brody School of Medicine, said ECU and the region offer an environment where new technologies can move from development toward practical application.
ECU Health CEO and med school Dean Michael Waldrum.
“What we heard is that as innovation, whether it’s AI or other technologies or biotechnologies, a place like ECU is a friendly place for development and then actually taking something you may create and taking it to market,” Waldrum said.
Jason Buskirik, vice president of Enterprise Data and Analytics at ECU Health, said access to data and emerging technologies can give students valuable experience as they prepare for careers in the field.
“Knowing that you’re coming to a place that manages data and has access to data that you can use to not only further your studies, but also any research that you want to do,” Buskirik said, “having those tools and technologies, AI in particular, on top of all those really robust data sets will set you ahead.”
Other discussions examined rural health care and highlighted Eastern North Carolina’s unique challenges, particularly when it comes to providing access to health care, developing a skilled workforce and preparing communities for continued growth. Addressing those challenges requires partnerships that connect education, healthcare, research and industry across the region.
Mark Phillips, Vice President, Statewide Operations, NCBiotech said “Through its partnership with East Carolina University and the Brody School of Medicine, ECU Health is demonstrating how an integrated health system can strengthen access to care, develop the next generation of healthcare professionals, and create innovative solutions that improve health outcomes across rural eastern North Carolina.”
Also during the event, Dr. Walter J. Pories, professor emeritus and founding chair of the Department of Surgery at East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of North Carolina’s highest honors. The award recognized Pories’ decades of contributions to medicine, research and education in North Carolina.
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