Easier said than done. That sentiment is bubbling up in conversations about the N.C. Research Campus that David Murdock and the University of North Caroline propose establishing in Kannapolis.

"Easier said than done" rings true of virtually anything that's worthwhile. Transforming dream into reality will require determination, political savvy and money — lots of money.

That's one of the question marks still hanging over this ambitious project, announced by Murdock last month. The General Assembly will have to OK $41 million in university funding for the project's first year, and $25 million a year after that. Considering lawmakers' desire to attract business to North Carolina and improve its already-strong standing in the biotechnology world — third in the nation — the campus' state funding requirements don't look insurmountable.

On to even bigger questions. Which biotech firms will come to this campus of dreams? If the state and Murdock build it, will they come? A recent Charlotte Observer article points out obstacles that remain to be cleared for Murdock's bold concept to become reality. Every state in the nation would like to have a biotechnology campus to attract the best and the brightest. Several areas have more drawing power than Kannapolis, the Observer article suggests, because they already have clusters of biotech businesses and a medical school nearby, and they're closer to achieving a "critical mass" of scientists and companies.

Were David Murdock trying to do this on his own, the project would look more doubtful. But his ingenious partnership with the state university system gives the N.C. Research Campus tremendous credibility. Yes, Kannapolis will have a hard time competing with the likes of San Francisco, Seattle, Boston — even Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill. No one can know how successful the Kannapolis campus will be. But it has momentum, enthusiasm, a $100 million venture fund from Murdock and strong support from a first-class university system. That's a tremendous start. Only time will tell.

In the meantime, the job of recruiting new businesses to Kannapolis goes on. The city can't pin all its hopes on a project whose completion is years away. But the city can list it as another reason — a big reason — to feel positive about doing business in Kannapolis.