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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

GRAIL Plans Research-Operations Complex in Durham, North Carolina

06/03/2020
GRAIL, Inc., an innovative healthcare company pioneering a test that detects more than 50 cancers with a single blood draw, will invest $100 million to bring a new state-of-the-art laboratory facility, with office and warehouse space at Research Triangle Park in Durham, North Carolina. The company plans to create 398 new jobs over time.

“We want to thank Governor Cooper, Secretary of Commerce Anthony Copeland, and our local Durham partners for their leadership and support of GRAIL’s expansion to North Carolina, known for its large pool of skilled talent and innovative spirit that is critical to the success of our mission to detect cancer early and save lives,” said Uplaksh Kumar, Senior Vice President of Strategic Operations and Scale at GRAIL. “This expansion is an important step forward in making our pioneering, multi-cancer early detection blood test widely available to patients and healthcare providers across the country.”

"Even in tough economic times, companies like GRAIL see that North Carolina is ready to support the life sciences sector with a strong workforce,” said Governor Cooper. “North Carolina had a solid foundation for job growth before the virus, and that will make the road to recovery faster in the coming months.”

"The coronavirus pandemic heightens our awareness of the critical role science and research play in keeping us healthy,” said Secretary of Commerce Anthony Copeland. “North Carolina and our culture of innovation will support GRAIL as it brings hope to many people with its innovative approach to early cancer detection.”

GRAIL’s project in North Carolina will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee earlier today. Over the course of 12 years, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $1.2 billion.

Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the new jobs, the agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $5.2 million over 12 years. Payments for all JDIGs only occur following performance verification by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the company has met its incremental job creation and investment targets. JDIG projects result in positive net tax revenue to the state treasury, even after taking into consideration the grant’s reimbursement payments to a given company.

Because GRAIL chose a site in Durham County, classified by the state’s economic tier system as Tier 3, the company’s JDIG agreements also call for moving as much as $1,717,000 into the state’s Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account. The Utility Account helps rural communities finance necessary infrastructure upgrades to attract future business. Even when new jobs are created in a Tier 3 county such as Durham, the new tax revenue generated through JDIG grants helps more economically challenged communities elsewhere in the state.

Partnering with the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C. on this project were the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System and its N.C. BioNetwork, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Durham County, the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina State University, Duke University, Alamance Community College, Durham Tech, Wake Tech, the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, and Duke Energy.


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