Launching the International Call to Action for 6G Leadership and Security
July 29, 2026 • 9:30 am – 12:00 pm EDT
Hosted by Strategic Technologies Program
Spotlighting the North Carolina Research Triangle's Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing and Innovation Hub
August 10, 2026 • 12:30 – 5:30 pm EDT
In-Person and Streaming from Durham, NC
Brought to you by
This event is co-hosted with Duke University and is hosted onsite at the Rubenstein Great Hall at the Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center at 2080 Duke University Road, Durham, NC.
The CSIS Renewing American Innovation program and Duke University are hosting a half-day symposium of expert panels on the global importance of the North Carolina Research Triangle region for biotechnology innovation and biopharmaceutical manufacturing and workforce development.
The NC Research Triangle is a global center of biotech and pharmaceutical innovation, sustained by a world-class research and university ecosystem, strong workforce, and public-private partnerships and technology transfer supported by reliable intellectual property rights. In an era defined by economic and national security concerns, the NC Research Triangle is a national asset that offers a valuable playbook for establishing a successful biosciences hub in the United States.
This event is made possible through general support to CSIS.
Event Agenda
Program Welcome
12:30 pm
- Welcome from Duke University leadership
- Sujai Shivakumar, director and senior fellow, Renewing American Innovation, CSIS
Fireside Chat with Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC) and Walter Copan
1:15 pm
Panel 1 - Building a World-Class Biopharmaceutical Innovation Ecosystem: The NC Research Triangle's Experience
1:50 pm
Moderator: Chan Harjivan, CSIS Senior Technical Expert, and former director of the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), Duke Margolis Center Vising Fellow, and Special Assistant to the President in the White House during Operation Warp Speed
- Mike Carnes, Vice President, Emerging Company Development, North Carolina Biotechnology Center
- Robin L. Rasor, Associate VP for Translation & Commercialization at Duke Translation & Commercialization
Panel 2 - From Discovery to Commercialization: Research, Intellectual Property, and Investment Across the Pipeline
2:35 pm
Moderator: Walter Copan, CSIS Senior Adviser, and former director of the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST)
- David Ridley, Professor of the Practice of Business, Economics, and Public Policy and Dr. and Mrs. Frank A. Riddick, Jr. Research Fellow, Duke Fuqua School of Business
Break
3:20 pm
Panel 3 - Building the Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Workforce
3:35 pm
Moderator: Sujai Shivakumar, director and senior fellow, Renewing American Innovation, CSIS
- Mary E. Klotman, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, Duke University; Dean, Duke University School of Medicine; Chief Academic Officer, Duke Health
Panel 4 - Industry Perspectives on Sustaining U.S. Biopharmaceutical Leadership: Investment and Policies That Define the Region
4:20 pm
- Mark McClellan, Director of the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy and Robert J. Margolis, MD, Professor of Business, Medicine and Health Policy at Duke University
Hosted By
Contact Information
- Alexander Kersten
- Deputy Director and Fellow, Renewing American Innovation
- 202.775.3291
- [email protected]
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Director of the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy and Robert J. Margolis, MD, Professor of Business, Medicine and Health Policy at Duke University
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Associate VP for Translation & Commercialization at Duke Translation & Commercialization
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Professor of the Practice of Business, Economics, and Public Policy and Dr. and Mrs. Frank A. Riddick, Jr. Research Fellow, Duke Fuqua School of Business
Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, Duke University; Dean, Duke University School of Medicine Chief Academic Officer of Duke Health