BioNetwork

Two people standing in a lab

BioNetwork

BioNetwork is the Life Science Training Initiative of the North Carolina Community College System.

At our Asheville location, the focus is on the food, beverage, and natural products industry. We host classes, offer laboratory rental space and testing services, and maintain a small test kitchen for formulation and product development.

  • Training topics include food safety, HACCP, PCQI, Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) for dietary supplements and cosmetics, basic and analytical laboratory skills, natural products business development, professional continuing education courses, and customized industry training.
  • Equipped laboratory space is available for rent to those interested in product research and analytical testing.
  • Testing services for raw materials and finished products include microbiological media quality control, botanical constituent quantification, and analysis of craft beverages.
  • The Test Kitchen facility offers rental space to batch test recipes and experiment with cutting-edge food production technology, including a spray dryer, anti-griddle, sous vide system, and more.
  • BioNetwork STEM outreach programs aim to support life science endeavors and awareness through community and educational partnerships and are geared toward K-12 students through adult learners. Current outreach offerings include hands-on science activities and professional development workshops at colleges across the state.