Pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical R&D represents the most important research and technology-intensive industry in the Research Triangle Region.

The region offers resources to support the complete life cycle of pharmaceutical development, including:

• Quality university life sciences programs and corporate research organizations that produce discoveries that are transferred to emerging or existing companies, resulting in new therapies or R&D tools.
• Local research universities, medical schools and nonprofits that provide research services, as well as preclinical and clinical trials, in support of drug development efforts undertaken by companies ranging in size from small to large.
• The Triangle's contract research organizations (CROs), which provide pharmaceutical research, testing, development, preclinical trials, clinical trial! s and associated services to ensure compliance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations.
• Corporate and contract pharmaceutical and biomanufacturing plants.
  

The Research Triangle is one of very few places worldwide where such a critical mass exists. North Carolina receives substantial grant funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and, within North Carolina, the Triangle receives the most NIH grants of any region. The public's desire for quality health care will continue to drive the search for new discoveries, new drugs and advanced treatments. Aging populations in most industrialized countries will also favor growth of the pharmaceutical industry.