Research Triangle Park is Alive with Wildlife

Research Triangle Park is home to over 38,000 full-time employees in over 170 diverse companies.  Most people are aware of its regional importance for research and development and its importance to North Carolina.  One thing people may not be as aware of is the flourishing wildlife within the Park.  In addition to the 38,000 employees, hundreds of plants and animals call the 7,000 acre campus home and coexist within RTP.

Male Bluebird in RTP

The Research Triangle Park is home to over 40 bluebird boxes, 8 duck boxes, 4 bat boxes, 2 purple martin houses, and this does not include the various boxes other companies have on their private campuses.  The boxes can be found all over the park off pedestrian trails we they are easily accessible. These houses provide homes for the unique and important species within the Park.  The wildlife box program has been active within the Park since 2005 and has helped shelter hundreds of birds and mammals since then.  Other than the wildlife box program there is also a butterfly garden within the Park at the RTP headquarters, a tree ID trail off of Davis drive, and an ongoing Park wildlife inventory.

Male and Female Bluebird

The main emphasis throughout the wildlife programs at this time of year is on wildlife boxes, notably the bluebird boxes.  Currently there are 40 bluebird boxes throughout the Park which are all available for adoption by RTP employees.  Employees adopt a Bluebird box (es) and monitor the boxes over the breeding season, from late March to August.  All of the data collected on nesting and reproductive habits is then collected and sent to NestWatch through Cornell University.  Cornell uses this data to look at reproductive success and species movement and work to develop better wildlife management for the birds.

Eastern bluebirds experienced a sharp decline in populations from the 1920s to 1970s due to pesticides and other manmade disturbances.  Since then bluebird box programs across the nation have worked amazingly well to bring back populations.  The story of the bluebird’s re-establishment is such an interesting success story, not only for the bird’s recovery, but also for the fact that it was primarily citizens who have worked to bring the birds back and not a specific agency or organization. Read more »

How to Hatch a Goose Egg Without an Incubator

This morning I googled: [where is the right place to incubate startup]. Or at least I thought I did. IE automatically placed my search in Bing. Perplexed with the results, I opened up Chrome and searched Google. Here is the side-by-side comparison of the results of each search:

While Google returned what I expected to find, Bing introduced me to a multitude of results. Curious, I decided to click on ‘How to Hatch a Goose Egg without an Incubator.’ Surprisingly, there were a lot of similarities in growing a startup to a fully fledged business.

Goose eggs must be incubated in order to hatch.

A business incubator is more than just a place that offers what most startups need initially: cheap rent. Incubators are focused on helping to launch and grow successful businesses.

You can approximate the effects of an incubator, but even with close supervision, only about half of birds hatched without a proper incubator survive.

Starting up inside an incubator with collaborative programs can really help entrepreneurs take that great idea and enthusiasm and combine it with essential business know-how, work space, support services, and provide connections to the right contacts and mentors. And often of greater importance, offer legitimacy for venture funds looking to invest.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging.

Let’s face it. Starting up a business is hard. And first-time entrepreneurs need all the help they can get.

Andy Schwab, President of First Flight Venture Center – a business incubator located in the Research Triangle Park, shares his thoughts on the Research Triangle Region and how FFVC helps people think through their ideas, form companies, and grow them into businesses. (Thanks to our marketing intern, Ross Maloney, UNC ’12)

Bottom-line: Are you getting the right resources you need for the business you’re trying to do?

Learn more about the invaluable resources and support organizations in the Research Triangle Region to help you startup.

Start something… and here’s who can help.

Startup Lifecycle (thanks YallaStartup for the image!)

See the image to the left? If you’ve drawn this on a paper napkin, and then scratched your head at the checklist…

Chances are: you need this list.

Over the last few days, there have been multiple meetups, CED Cafes and TiE Carolina events that have offered opportunities for entrepreneurs like you to connect with the Research Triangle region’s rich resources of support organizations to help make that light bulb idea of yours a reality.

A huge thanks to CED for starting this list, and the many more who pinged me with others. As they say, I only know what I know. SO. If you want to be included on the list, leave a comment with your organization’s name, description, and contact information and any special packages you have to support our entrepreneurs.

And now… the list:

Read more »

STEMulating the mind

It’s the first day of school for many students across the Triangle, including my own. And let me tell you. It was challenging to get my seventh grade daughter to pose for our traditional photo out in our front yard today.  She’s figuring it out. Her friends. Her interests. Her place in the world.

The fact of the matter is that kids start forming ideas in their minds, consciously or sub-consciously, about what they’re good at or not good at. By middle school, they’re already on a path.

To my relief and surprise when she got her schedule, she was thrilled to have science and pre-algebra first in the day.  But of all her friends, she’s one of the few to call those two classes “favorite subjects”.

Biogen and the RTP Women in Bio partnered to encourage young women in STEM careers

Well-documented trends have been reported nationally of declining interest, poor preparedness, a lack of diverse representation, and low persistence of U.S. students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines.

In a recent survey, a majority of students said that while their science and math teachers seem knowledgeable and keep class interesting, they aren’t teaching about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) career options. High school students also said they don’t believe STEM knowledge is integral to getting a good job, which doesn’t bode well for leaders counting on STEM education to keep the nation at the forefront of the global economy.

Read more »

More on RTP’s Impact

Did you know that in the 1950’s, North Carolina ranked 48^th in per capita income out of all U.S. states? Back then, Wake and Durham Counties had less than 250,000 residents between them (vs. 1.2 million in 2010), and 85% of employment was in traditional or ‘old-line’ fields:  agriculture, textiles, furniture and manufacturing.

It certainly isn’t news that our region’s economy has evolved dramatically since then. The same trends towards service and technological industries can be seen across the country. But you can make the case that the Research Triangle has enjoyed a more substantial transformation than most, thanks to several key assets: renowned universities, our natural environment, and the establishment of the Research Triangle Park.

Read more »

Wanted: Cloud Professionals

Despite the dark economic clouds, revenue growth attributed to “cloud computing” has become a major point of emphasis of companies with operations in RTP including: IBM, NetApp, and EMC.

More and more businesses are eyeing cloud architectures, hosted or in-house, as a means to lower infrastructure costs, quickly scale capacity as required, and standardize IT across offices and divisions.

By 2020, large U.S. companies that use cloud computing can achieve annual energy savings of $12.3 billion and annual carbon reductions equivalent to 200 million barrels of oil – enough to power 5.7 million cars for one year.

This is according to a new study by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), “Cloud Computing: The IT Solution for the 21st Century,” conducted by independent analyst research firm Verdantix and sponsored by AT&T. Download the full cloud computing report here.

What is cloud computing?

Read more »

Investing in Opportunity

“Where are the jobs?”

Twenty-three percent, according to Twitter’s Topic Tracker, of the possible questions for President Obama, focused on jobs during his first ever Twitter town hall this past week.

With the next job report out July 8, even Warren Buffett is optimistic on jobs.  So optimistic, that he placed a little wager (one dollar, to be exact) that the U.S. unemployment rate – now at 9.1% – will dip well below 8% by November next year. [Update: June jobs report out. Just up 18,000]

But by 2020, the U.S. will need to create 20 million jobs to recover from the 7 million lost in the Great Recession and 13 million needed for the country’s growing population.

So, what’s with the downer post?

Quite the opposite actually. Despite the economic challenges, our region’s historically strong technology and innovation performance places us in a competitive position as demand for science and technology-driven growth builds.

Governor Perdue, Lou Tapper - Longistics, Cris Mulder - RTP, Secretary of Commerce Crisco

I’ve had the opportunity in the last few months to travel with Governor Perdue and Secretary of Commerce Crisco as they courted businesses from outside states, hosted the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and most recently in promoting the region at the BIO International Conference in Washington D.C.  And the message each time is abundantly clear from the Governor:  “I will take any meeting or make any call to bring new businesses or keep existing companies here.”

But actions speak louder than words. The governor has made calls for rethinking the state’s business tax structure, hoping to cut tax rates on small business and corporations in order to remain regionally competitive and spur new job growth. The governor also supported continued and increased state investments in business incentives and tax credit programs designed to support job growth. And, North Carolina also has a network of over 25 core public and private research laboratories supporting research in biotechnology and life sciences. And as the Governor says, it’s our strong regional collaboration that attracts businesses to look at the entire package.

Public-private partnerships are key.

Read more »

Durham and Wake Technical Community Colleges Play a Vital Role in Workforce Development

Visionary leaders, from government, the private sector, and academia–came together to establish the Research Triangle Park did so because they recognized the Triangle’s major assets:  world-class educational institutions that could produce the ideas and innovations that would fuel the economy, as well as talent with the skills and work ethic needed to bring such ideas to scale.

Our four-year colleges and universities have been visible catalysts of North Carolina’s economic transformation.  For more than 50 years, North Carolina has offered no-cost, company-specific training to eligible companies in our state and was one of the first in the nation to offer what has become an important economic development tool. (Learn more about NC Community Colleges)

• Through NC’s industrial training program businesses can coordinate with area Community Colleges to arrange worker training before a new facility is complete. The state, which pays the full cost of this program with no federal funding and at no cost to the employer, has helped more than 1,800 businesses develop customized training programs during the past 20 years.
• The NC Community College System consists of 58 campuses across the state that offers more than 280 programs to train workers for technical occupations. Read more »

AG-Tech Landscape Grows in RTP

Agriculture is big business in North Carolina, bringing in $70.1 billion to the state annually – that’s 18% of N.C.’s income.  More than 4,000 North Carolinians work in over 70 ag-tech companies, which include RTP-based BASF Group, Bayer CropScience, Monsanto Company, and Syngenta. And soon, the landscape will grow with the exciting announcements made this week!

With the N.C. Biotechnology Center as its backdrop, a non-profit organization working to strengthen biotech initiatives in the state, two major announcements were made:

• Governor Perdue Announces $13.5M Greenhouse Incubator – Alexandria Ag-Tech Center
• Syngenta announces $71 million expansion in RTP

Alexandria AG-Tech Center

Announced Tuesday, the Alexandria AG-Tech Center is a $13.5 million, 50,000-square-foot agricultural research center near the Research Triangle Park that would include 18,000 square feet of greenhouse space.

The center will provide individual greenhouse modules and support areas along with shared amenities, according to Alexandria. Each greenhouse will have separate environmental controls, planting and support spaces. Completion is expected Summer 2012. Read more »

It Is Here! New Website Announcement

We are proud to announce the release of our newly redesigned website for the Research Triangle Park (RTP). By updating our main site, www.rtp.org, we’ve been able to improve navigation, connect visitors with events happening in and around the Park, and provide enhanced education and decision tools for companies locating in the Park.

• Choose RTP. 27709. It’s the zip code that built the Research Triangle region and helped to cultivate growth and create a strong community. In this section, you’ll learn more about our industries, the Triangle Region and the established network of support organizations and infrastructure to grow and establish your business, our accelerator and incubator spaces and information about our available sites and buildings.

 

• Park Life. Get connected @RTP. Centrally located at the heart of the Triangle, learn more in this section about programs and events, recreational spaces and wildlife. Or take advantage of our community town hall and host your next business meeting at our conference center.

 

• About RTP. With a rich history in innovation, the Research Triangle Park’s creation remains one of the most transformational public-private partnerships in national history. Get news on company expansion plans and job creations, a listing of the 170+ companies located in the Park, information on our partners, and updates on our Master Plan.

 

• Want to learn more about who’s located in the Park? The @RTP 2011 Company Directory is now available for purchase. The directory provides greater company details as well as a pull-out map by company location and industry. Complete the Contact Us form to order.

 

• Looking for jobs? With over 170 companies located in RTP – from prominent Fortune 100 multi-national operations, university spin-outs and start-up businesses in more than a dozen pioneering industries, we’ve partnered with the North Carolina Technology Association and the NC Biotechnology Center to promote job opportunities.

The New RTP Website

Take a peek! And while you’re there, take some time to complete our Contact Us form and tell us what you think. We’re constantly striving for new and improved ways to connect with you.

There are other ways to stay in-touch and informed about Park happenings.  Check out theRTP blog. Or follow us on twitter @theRTP.