By Emily Ford

eford@salisburypost.com

KANNAPOLIS — Rowan-Cabarrus Community College will use a $250,000 grant from Duke Energy to help equip a cutting-edge biotechnology facility at the N.C. Research Campus.

The grant will purchase equipment for a laboratory and prep rooms in the college's future building in Kannapolis. Called an aseptic bioprocessing suite, the lab and related areas will replicate the sophisticated environments found in biotech industries.

Construction of the 60,000-square-foot building has been on hold since the economy soured. But college officials and campus developer Castle & Cooke North Carolina still hope to break ground on the project this calendar year.

"Castle & Cooke is sill trying to hammer out the financing details, so that has put the brakes on the project for now," college spokesman Jeff Lowrance said.

The college plans to house all of its biotech programs in the new building and offer classes there starting in 2009.

The aseptic bioprocessing suite will give students real-world, hands-on training, college president Dr. Carol Spalding said in a statement.

"At the same time, this facility, with its adjacent observation area, will give our NCRC partners a superb recruitment tool to attract more businesses and individuals to the campus," Spalding said.

The suite will provide a specialized training venue for companies and research organizations that want access to the Research Campus.

The grant is part of more than $1.7 million Duke Energy is giving to five N.C. community colleges through the Duke Energy Community College Grant Program.

Rowan-Cabarrus Community College recently received final approval to offer two associate-degree programs in biotechnology. The programs were designed to prepare students for jobs at the Research Campus.

Both programs will open in August 2009 and take at least two years to complete.

The college is a key player at the Research Campus, which also includes branches of eight universities. Many biotech companies locating to Kannapolis will rely on the community college to prepare their workforce.

Billionaire Dole Food Co. owner David Murdock is developing the $1.5 billion life sciences hub in downtown Kannapolis on the ruins of a textile mill he once owned.

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