News-Record.com

Okay, so we need to adjust for inflation since this post is about a $65 million research center (rather than a $6 million man), but it’s still interesting.

A contingent from the Greensboro Partnership - an alliance of Greensboro Economic Development Partnership, Action Greensboro and other business and foundation types - was up here today.

They were pitching their legislative agenda to the folks who represent Guilford County up here and some of the legislature’s top leaders. In fact, they got sit-downs with House Speaker Joe Hackney and Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight.

According to those who chatted afterward today, the only topic they brought up with those top leaders is a $65 million nanotechnology project for the Gateway Research Park. From their agenda:

$65 million funding request for the NCA&TSU/UNCG Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering. Funding for this project will spread across two bienniums from 2007 through 2010. At the NCA&TSU/UNCG Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (JSNN), students will train under premier, highly accomplished scholars in Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, giving them a competitive edge in the biotechnology industry. JSNN will offer a joint interdisciplinary Ph.D. degree and a joint professional science master’s degree (M.S.). Once fully developed, the training, research and development activity associated with this project will have an estimated economic impact of $20 million per year within the Triad region.

“One of the things we’ve heard over the past few years from legislators is, 'Bring us a milestone, signature type project,” said Bob Braswell, President of Carolina Bank and head of the Greensboro Partnership’s government affairs committee.

Basically, what they were told was all these little projects (a million here, a million there) were all fine and dandy, but other parts of the state were thinking bigger and it would behoove Greensboro to do so as well.

Well, $65 million is bigger. And to be fair, its backers see it as something that could really boost the economy of the region as well as the state. It's the story of thing, they say, that could attract other businesses to come to town. (Think along the lines of the big Dole research park under construction down in Kannapolis, only with material science rather than crop science.)

Our local honorables seem to like the project. Bills will be introduced in both the House and Senate to fund this deal, which is the first of many steps this thing will take on its road to funding (or not).

Among those making an appearance up here were former City Manager Ed Kitchen (who now works for the Bryan Foundation), Greensboro Partnership President Dan Lynch, Piedmont Triad Entrepreneurial Network CEO Jon Obermeyer, Former Cemela Foundation head (and now member of the UNC Board of Governor’s) Priscilla Taylor, Greensboro Partnership president Pat Danahy, Business Journal Publisher Doug Copeland, and (formerly of Moses Cone) Dennis Barry.