DURHAM -- MCNC, a nonprofit in Durham's Research Triangle Park, has received $28.2 million in broadband funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to build a 480-mile fiber-optic network for the organization's N.C. Research and Education Network.
The network will run through 37 counties in the state, through Beaufort County and Wake County in the east and through Mecklenburg County and Buncombe County in the west.
The design, construction and operation of the network are estimated to create more than 230 engineering and construction jobs, according to Gov. Beverly Perdue's office. In addition, the network has the potential to serve more than 1,500 school and community institutions, 180,000 businesses and more than 300,000 underserved families.
MCNC will leverage the existing NCREN network and will issue several requests for proposal for the design, construction and operation of the network in the next two months. Construction is expected to last up to three years.
The Microelectronics Center of North Carolina, or MCNC, was founded by the General Assembly in 1980 to link the major universities in a broadcast-quality, two-way network called NCREN.
The organization began providing connectivity to K12 schools in 2008.
Semprius lands $3M from DOE
DURHAM -- Coming on the heels of a $1.5 million deal with a German company, Durham-based semiconductor technology company Semprius has landed $3 million from the U.S. Department of Energy.
The funding comes from the department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Semprius was the only company in the state to receive the funding, which will be used to producing a microcell-based CPV receiver.
CPV stands for concentrated photovoltaic, the technology that enables sunlight to be concentrated on surfaces to generate electricity. Semprius' has been working on a technology that enables CPVs to be made from small solar cells printed onto a variety of surfaces.
Semprius also received a $500,000 grant from the Department of Energy last summer for commercializing its solar power technology.
The additional $3 million funding will be awarded as an 18-month phased subcontract, with payment upon completion of project milestones.
Liquidia raises $20M financing
DURHAM -- Liquidia has raised $20 million in a Series C round of financing.
Canaan Partners led the round. Pappas Ventures of Durham and Morningside Venture Investments Limited came on as new investors. Previous investors, including New Enterprise Associates and Firelake Capital, also participated in the round.
The funds will be used to accelerate Liquidia's lead vaccine candidate through initial clinical evaluation and expand development of particle-based solutions for siRNA delivery and inhaled therapeutics.
"We are pleased to attract excellent investors and a tremendous level of interest in the PRINT platform as a result of our progress," said Neal Fowler, CEO of Liquidia.
As part of the financing round, Stephen Block, a general partner with Canaan Partners, and Isaac Cheng with Morningside have joined Liquidia's Board of Directors.
IT job market down 60 points
DURHAM -- The IT job market lost 10.7 percent of total job openings in North Carolina in December, the N.C. Technology Association reported Wednesday.
The size of the current IT job market is less than 40 percent of what it was at the start of the recession in December 2007.
Demand for IT workers in the Charlotte and Raleigh areas was mixed, according to the organization. Compared to November, there were more job postings in December in Raleigh while employers in Charlotte posted fewer openings.
Job postings declined for all categories in IT except for sales and marketing, which was up 36.4 percent.
