New Charlotte Pearl district is both host and highlight of biotech conference
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The Pearl opens in Charlotte as $1.5B hub for biotech and STEM innovation.
- Project anchors Charlotte’s rise as a life sciences and medical training center.
- Development expected to support 11,500 jobs and $800M in annual impact.
During opening remarks for the 2025 NCBiotech Summit at The Pearl, Doug Edgerton spoke about Charlotte’s $1.5 billion innovation district having a “new building smell,” before getting a few chuckles from the audience add Thursday.
“Just like a new car,” said Edgerton, CEO of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center,sponsors of the summit. The center is a life sciences economic development organization.
The Pearl, which is only a few months old, is expected to be a major driver for growth in Charlotte and the state for economic development, innovation and creating new jobs, according to several supporters of the projec at the conference.
Segments of Thursday’s summit “Accelerating Life Sciences” focused on how the Charlotte region can play a role in creating ideas and solving major problems, with The Pearl district being a key part of Charlotte’s growing innovation and life sciences sector.
Edgerton was joined by Advocate Health CEO Gene Woods, Gov. Josh Stein, health and science professionals, and local representatives including Mark Jerrell, a Mecklenburg County commissioner. Jerrell represents District 4 where The Pearl is located.
“Biotechnology is a growing industry in North Carolina,” Jerrell said. ”We welcome the opportunities that come with bringing more life sciences right here to our community.”
The Pearl: A New Hub for Charlotte’s STEM Economy
The Pearl’s goal is to attract STEM businesses to Charlotte. Located near uptown, The Pearl is a collaboration between Atrium Health (a unit of Advocate Health) and Wexford Science & Technology.
“We’re rapidly becoming the global destination for experiential learning, for surgical simulation and robotics in medicine,” Woods said.
During his speech, Woods noted that scientists and innovators from places like Boston, France, Ireland and Taiwan are coming to the area to collaborate and learn.
“North Carolina was already on the map for innovation, as you all know in this room,” he said. “We just underlined it boldly,” he said. “We’re rapidly becoming the global destination for experiential learning, for surgical simulation and robotics in medicine.”
The development is centered around the Wake Forest University School of Medicine-Charlotte, which opened in the summer. It is the first four-year medical school in the region.
Other academic institutions housed at The Pearl include Wake Forest University School of Business, the School for Professional Studies and Atrium’s Carolinas College of Health Sciences.
Companies moving to The Pearl
Several major companies are also establishing a presence at The Pearl. Advocate Health will locate its new headquarters there, while German medical technology company Siemens Healthineers is constructing a 60,000-square-foot building with two floors.
Additionally, French company IRCAD, a subsidiary of Atrium Health that specializes in surgical techniques, is opening the doors for its North American headquarters on Friday at The Pearl.
“And it’s happening here in North Carolina,” Woods said. “It’s not in Silicon Valley and it’s not in Boston, but right here, and that’s not a coincidence. And really we should take that as a powerful signal of the attractiveness of North Carolina and the attractiveness of our talent pool.”
Connect Labs Charlotte by Wexford Science & Technology is also scheduled to open a shared lab space for companies involved in science, technology and robotics.
Beyond its academic and corporate tenants, The Pearl will feature retail space, offices, apartments, a parking structure and an outdoor plaza. The development will also include a component for affordable housing.
Growing biotech in Charlotte and NC
The work of NC Biotech is paying off for the state, according to Stein. The life sciences sector is one of the fastest growing in the state.
More than 840 life sciences companies call the state home and an additional 2,500 companies support the sector, Stein said. All in, that’s 225,000 jobs.
“And we all know these are good-paying jobs that make a difference in our communities,” Stein said.
The life sciences sector generates $88.3 billion in economic activity annually, $12 billion in pharmaceutical exports, and $2.4 billion in state and local revenues, Stein added.
Stein said the Triangle region has captured the most attention for biotech growth, but Charlotte is emerging as the key hub for healthcare innovation.
“People and businesses ... health care providers, they want to be part of what is happening here in Charlotte, what you all are building,” Stein said after praising The Pearl. “To the folks in this room who work to make North Carolina a top state for business and the next big thing in life sciences, I want to say thank you for your hard work, because it is truly paying off for all of us.”
