News-Record.com

Friday's lead editorial.

The Triad has moved closer to becoming a nanotechnology hub with the proposal to create a nanomedicine facility in Winston-Salem.

The N.C. Translational NanoMedicine Institute, or N.C. NanoMed, would focus on helping startup companies pass the many hurdles found when moving from research to final product. Focusing on areas such as pharmacology and therapeutics, it would work with federal agencies, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to speed up product testing and other regulatory review. That would be a drawing card to companies nationwide, as there is a great demand for such services, but few that provide them.

David Carroll, head of Wake Forest University's Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials, is the leading force behind the idea, but Winston-Salem State University and Forsyth Technical Community College also are involved in the plan.

Supporters want to locate the facility in Piedmont Triad Research Park in Winston-Salem. They plan to hold meetings across the state during the year to promote the institute.

Greensboro residents can't help but wonder whether such a facility would be a competitive or a complementary venture to the Nanotechnology School being built jointly by N.C. A&T and UNCG on East Lee Street. UNCG's Rosemary Wander, associate provost for research and public/private sector partnerships, assures us that "these efforts are complementary."

While both are connected with universities, they have different emphases. Greensboro will focus on research and education. The Winston-Salem institute would focus on clinical research and business support.

Actually, there's likely to be lots of synergy between the two. Graduates of the school in Greensboro could end up working for the Winston-Salem institute or needing its services. Or research generated in Greensboro could spawn a start-up venture that the institute would serve.
Both centers would be powerful attractions for people nationwide in, or wanting in, the field.
"We are trying to increase the visibility/presence of nanotechnology/nanobiosciences in the Triad. In effect, we are trying to 'brand' the Triad as the home for this type of work for the state," says Wander, about the two ventures.

That's a smart thing to do. Research shows the benefits of "clustering" industries, not just for the particular industry itself but for the economic health of the larger community.

A Triad nanotechnology cluster not only could lead to the development of more molecular-level products and applications but to the development of a more robust North Carolina Piedmont.