Our Trade Mission to Europe is Next Week

The team at Wake County Economic Development and representatives from the Town of Holly Springs, NC Biotechnology Center, EDPNC and Research Triangle Regional Partnership will be traveling to France and the UK Sept. 30 - Oct. 4, 2019.

This trade mission is a critical element in our international business strategy set by our committee of local business representatives. France and the UK are two of our identified strategic target countries based on strong, existing connections, and industry clusters aligned with our region, in particular a thriving life science and biotechnology industries.

North Carolina is home to more than 600 life science companies, with 75% concentrated in Wake County and the Research Triangle. This trade mission, focused on the life science sector, aims to strengthen international ties to French-owned and UK-owned businesses that have a presence in our region and to further drive new relationships with partners and companies not familiar with the region.

During this trade mission, the team will be meeting with stakeholder organizations to learn more about each market and identify mutually beneficial collaborations for both of our regions. The team plans to visit Lyon, Paris, London, and Cambridge to meet with life science cluster organizations such as Lyonbiopole, Genopole and One Nucleus, as well as the respective regional chambers of commerce and economic development agencies. Why visit these specific cities? 

Lyon is very similar to the Wake County and the Research Triangle region, with a city population of around 600,000 and a regional population of two million. Lyon also has the second-highest concentration of MedTech and BioTech companies in France, three major universities, six clinical research centers, and nine world-class R&D facilities.

Paris is home to the oldest and largest biocluster in France, Genopole. Our team will be visiting the biotechnology company and meeting with consultants and representatives operating in the life science space in France and Europe.  

London hosts the largest American Embassy in Western Europe and has a focal point for events related to the United States that are held in the United Kingdom. The team will be visiting the U.S. Embassy during their stay to meet with staff dedicated to British foreign direct investment for the United States.

The UK has one of the largest biopharmaceutical pipelines in the EU, with 20% of biopharm- aceuticals in development originating in the UK. Cambridge, located an hour outside of London by train offers a vibrant university and life science ecosystem.

Wake County Economic Development’s international business strategy is powered by a committee comprised of over 20 business representatives in the region. This trade mission will activate a critical component of a two-year strategy set in 2018 for the purpose of developing strong partnerships and marketing the Research Triangle region as a strategic US location for global business to operate.

This trip will also inform French-owned and UK-owned companies about the Triangle region’s thriving life science ecosystem. You can learn more about life sciences in Wake County here, or follow up on Twitter @RaleighWake.