GREENSBORO, N.C. — Merck (NYSE: MRK) and NC A&T announced the Merck Biotechnology Learning Center opening at Gateway Research Park in Greensboro on Friday.
Merck is better known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada.
The learning center is a 4,025-square-foot facility that includes classroom space, a process laboratory, and state-of-the-art biopharmaceutical manufacturing equipment. Students and Merck trainees will experience hands-on learning and advanced discovery opportunities to enhance academic programming and training for biotechnology careers.
"We are embarking on a significant journey with the launch of the Merck Biotechnology Learning Center and our collaboration with NC A&T," said the executive vice president and president, Sanat Chattopadhyay.
The opening was marked with a joint celebration that included senior leaders from both Merck and NC A&T, current and former NC A&T students, and local government officials including NC Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders.
Attendees participated in tours of the lab and classroom facilities to see firsthand the immersive learning opportunities.
The joint effort between Merck and NC A&T supports the increasing need for biotech training and education in North Carolina and highlights the importance of business and historically Black college and university (HBCU) cooperation in growing diverse talent in the biotech sector.
Merck has been a member of the North Carolina community for more than 40 years. Today, nearly 1,500 Merck colleagues work at North Carolina facilities in Durham and Wilson, including numerous NC A&T alums.
There are already a few students working at the Durham site, according to Amanda Taylor who is the vice president and plant manager at that location.
“The Merck Biotechnology Learning Center will provide opportunities for NC A&T students to understand what a career in biotech looks like,” Taylor added.
The NC A&T College of Engineering is the No. 1 producer of African American graduates in engineering in the United States.
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