With an eye to identifying potential partners and forging relationships, Wilmington-based Marine Bio-Technologies Center of Innovation (MBCOI) has hired an experienced scientist to build its network with other marine research programs.

On Friday, MBCOI announced that it has hired Royston (Roy) E. Carter as its new senior director of marine bio-technologies development. According to the announcement, Carter’s primary role will be “to engage key marine bio-technology stakeholders throughout the state and foster strategic partnerships, relationships and alliances among academic institutions and other federal, state and private entities.”

The goal of MBCOI is to identify research in marine biology and related fields that has promise for commercialization.

MBCOI CEO Deb Mosca said that Carter would spend the next three to six months making a detailed inventory of marine research initiatives and programs underway under the aegis of N.C. State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University and East Carolina University, as well as through governmental entities such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Carter will be based in Morehead City but will also work with the various universities’ main administration units in the Triangle area.

Mosca added that, even though the UNC system is reviewing of all its marine biology research, there might be other faculty research that would have commercial potential.

“Roy will develop a detailed inventory of assets and match them with what industry and market needs might be, and how they might be developed commercially,” Mosca said.

Mosca oversees MBCOI’s overall strategy and works closely with University of North Carolina Wilmington and several other entities within the state, as well as pursuing global relationships.

According to the release, Carter brings more than 25 years of diverse life science research and development and technology commercialization experience to his new position. Most recently, he worked as a consultant, helping universities evaluate and commercialize new life science inventions and private clients adapt technologies for new business sectors. Previously, he helped lead companies focused on biosensors and agricultural biotechnology.

He earned an undergraduate degree in applied biochemistry from Liverpool (England) Polytechnic, and a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of Nottingham (England).