Charlotte will hold a week-long series of events from Monday to Friday next week to highlight the city’s growing role in life sciences. Mayor Vi Lyles has declared these dates Charlotte Life Sciences Week, aligning with the statewide North Carolina Life Sciences Week, according to a City of Charlotte statement.
Events include the UNC Charlotte Biomedical Sciences Symposium on Monday next week, showcasing academic research; the NCBiotech Summit on Thursday next week, which will bring together stakeholders from academia and industry; and a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday next week for IRCAD’s new North American hub at The Pearl, a facility focused on surgical education and research.
Businesses are being asked to light Uptown’s skyline in blue on Monday evening to show support for the initiative.
Life Sciences Week coincides with UNC Charlotte’s Carnegie R1 research classification earlier this year and the June launch of the $1.5 billion Pearl Innovation District, which is projected to create more than 5,500 direct and 11,500 indirect jobs over the next 15 years.
The Charlotte area has over 175,000 people employed in health and life sciences, hosts 69 bioscience firms and 354 support entities, and is home to major employers including Eli Lilly and Charlotte-based Advocate Health, the country’s third-largest nonprofit health system, according to the City of Charlotte.
