Council for Entrepreneurial Development and Contemporary Science Center Form Strategic Alliance; Two Organizations Will Partner to Enrich N.C.'s Entrepreneurial Culture.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -- The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) and Contemporary Science Center (CSC) today announced a strategic partnership to align their goals of building a strong entrepreneurial culture in North Carolina.

Both organizations will leverage CSC's expertise in high school science-based education to complement CED's mission to build successful high-impact, high-growth companies in the Research Triangle and North Carolina. Recognizing these aligned objectives, CED and CSC will work closely together to foster a creative workforce for the future.

In particular, CSC will relocate its administrative offices to CED's newly expanded Entrepreneurship Center in the Research Triangle. CSC joins the North Carolina Biosciences Organization (NCBIO) in sharing office space with CED. CSC will use CED's office for administrative purposes as well as for events co-hosted by the two organizations.

CED will also connect its life science and technology entrepreneurial company members with opportunities to mentor high school students involved in CSC's programs. Through sponsorship opportunities, CED members will have the opportunity to underwrite CSC Field Study programs which expose high school students across North Carolina to the global impact of North Carolina's Research Triangle Park. As students come to RTP from all across the state, CED members will be able to share their passion for science, technology and innovation with the next generation.

"CED is pleased to support the programs of the Contemporary Science Center," said CED President Monica Doss. "Their expertise in high school education complements CED's mission to build successful high-pact, high-growth entrepreneurial companies in the Research Triangle and across North Carolina, and together we can foster a creative workforce for the future."

Inspire Pharmaceuticals' CEO, Christy Shaffer, announced the partnership during a special lunch today at CED's Research Triangle office. Dr. Shaffer is the Chair of the CED Board of Directors and under her leadership, Inspire Pharmaceuticals sponsored the first field study program of CSC. In the past two years almost 450 high school students from Madison to Robeson counties have spent a day at CSC. Over 100 key supporters of CED and CSC attended the invite-only event, which featured a panel discussion on "Fostering a Culture of Innovation in North Carolina" through entrepreneurship, scientific discovery and education.

"I am so proud of the established partnership between CED and CSC, which reinforces the impact the CSC programs have on long-term economic development issues for North Carolina," said CSC Executive Director Pamela Blizzard. "By empowering students to become creative thinkers, CSC is building a culture in high schools that will support the long-range growth of RTP and entrepreneurship across the state."

J.B. Buxton (Governor's Senior Education Advisor), Timm Crowder (Oriel Therapeutics) and Pam Hartley (Exploris Museum) joined Blizzard in speaking at the event.

About CED: The Council for Entrepreneurial Development, headquartered in Research Triangle Park with a divisional office in Wilmington, is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1984 to stimulate the creation and growth of high-impact companies in the Research Triangle and North Carolina. In July 2005, Wilmington's Coastal Entrepreneurial Council merged with CED to create CED-Coastal, a divisional office focused on entrepreneurial development in Wilmington and throughout North Carolina's entire coastal region. CED provides education, mentoring and capital formation resources to new and existing high-growth entrepreneurs through annual conferences, seminars, workshops and programs on entrepreneurial management and finance. CED is the largest and oldest entrepreneurial support organization in the nation with more than 4,000 members representing over 1,100 entrepreneurial companies, financiers and professional firms. www.cednc.org.

About CSC: The Contemporary Science Center (CSC) is a science education non-profit formed in 2002 to share the discoveries of the Research Triangle Park area with high school students across the state. Working with public and private high schools from as far as Madison and as near as Wake counties, CSC has enabled almost 450 teenagers to 'experience the discoveries' of North Carolina's contemporary science, technology and math-based companies. CSC's key partners have included Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Constella Group, Oriel Therapeutics, Amphora Discovery Corporation and MCNC, along with GlaxoSmithKline, Progress Energy and BiogenIdec. www.contemporarysciencecenter.org