David Murdock's North Carolina Research Campus, touted as one of the world's most comprehensive biotech projects, took its message of opportunity to Southeast Bio in Atlanta last week.

Southeast BIO is a regional nonprofit organization that fosters the growth of the life sciences industry in the Southeastern United States.

Its efforts promote entrepreneurship and bring together companies, investors, universities and support organizations active in the development of the industry.

Clyde Higgs, vice president of business development for the research campus, will focus on:

* Recruiting biotech companies to the developing 350-acre campus. Higgs' primary interests are in the fields of medical devices, diagnostics, health and wellness and agri-bio.

* Developing business opportunities around a $200 million venture capital fund that will, among other functions, help seed growth at the campus.

"What's happening at the research campus here at the start of the 21st century is akin to what happened when Henry Ford introduced a new vision for production near the dawn of the 20th century," Higgs said. "We're assembling resources in exciting new ways and making great things possible."

Higgs will formally address conference-goers at 9:15 a.m. Friday in the Windsor Ballroom of the InterContinental Hotel Buckhead.

Planned as a public-private partnership, the campus combines the research power of universities in North Carolina and work-training programs with the know-how of business.

The partnerships include billionaire Murdock, owner and chairman of Castle & Cooke Inc. and Dole Food Company Inc.; Duke University, the University of North Carolina System and the N.C. Community College System.

Construction is under way on the project's Core Laboratory building.

Two companies, the BioMarker Group and Pelican Life Sciences, recently announced plans to move to the campus, which is designed to complement North Carolina's biotech corridor.

The state boasts the country's third largest collection of biotech companies as well as nationally-ranked research universities.