Building on Three Decades of U.S. Manufacturing

As North Carolina’s largest biotechnology employer, Biogen stands as a leader in the state’s thriving life sciences sector. In 2025, we marked our 30th anniversary of U.S. manufacturing excellence by announcing a $2 billion investment in multiple modalities and factories across the company’s two campuses in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina.

Our eight manufacturing factories, located in Wake and Durham counties, produce high-quality medicines for the U.S. market and the rest of the world. The $2 billion investment builds on nearly $10 billion invested over the past three decades, including more than $3 billion in recent years, and reinforces our continued commitment to the patients we serve. 

“With this investment, we will modernize and expand our manufacturing capability to enable our pipeline and provide resilient patient supply,” said Melissa Porazzo, General Manager of the RTP Biologics site. 

In 1995, when we broke ground on our manufacturing operations in RTP, the life sciences sector was relatively new in North Carolina. The North Carolina Biotechnology Center, the nation’s first state-sponsored biotechnology initiative, had been founded roughly a decade earlier, yet the industry’s presence in the state remained relatively nascent.¹ Three decades later, growth has been remarkable. “North Carolina is a global leader in life sciences, and Biogen has been at the heart of that story for three decades,” said North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein. 

With North Carolina’s biopharmaceutical sector projected to create more than 8,000 new jobs by the end of 2026,² the need for expanded workforce development has never been more urgent. We plan to help address this demand through hands-on training and early career exposure to biomanufacturing. 

One example of the approach in action is the Biogen CoLab, a hands-on lab where students participate in science and life science classes taught by employees and nonprofit partners. Durham Technical Community College (Durham Tech)’s BioWork certification program has leveraged the CoLab for years to deliver high-impact learning and prepare adult learners for entry-level roles in biomanufacturing. 

In 2025, Biogen and the Biogen Foundation donated $250,000 to Durham Tech’s new Life Sciences Center, funding a Biogen Lab Hall anchored by the BioWork Lab. This 35,000-square-foot facility will house 12 advanced laboratories, an aseptic manufacturing suite and collaborative learning spaces that support training for more than 400 students annually. 

“It was fitting for us to celebrate our 30th anniversary in North Carolina with a contribution to help sustain momentum and build our shared future,” said Nicole Murphy, Head of Pharmaceutical Operations and Technology. “Through strong partnerships with North Carolina institutions and immersive experiences in our CoLab, we aim to open doors for students to thrive, fueling the talent pipeline and driving the next wave of scientific breakthroughs.”