Emmes, a global, full-service clinical research organization (CRO), is opening a Wilmington office, designed to be a “collaboration hub,” according to a press release Monday.

Based in Maryland, the company works with government agencies and institutes in the U.S., and biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device companies throughout the world.

The new office is at 1430 Commonwealth Drive, suite 300 and the CRO currently has about a dozen Wilmington employees. This includes the president of Emmes BioPharma Rhonda Henry and the newly hired chief operating officer Wendy Buckland.

Of the company’s new Wilmington office, Henry said in the press release, “the new base in Wilmington will allow us to draw from the deep clinical research talent pool in the area, which includes seasoned professionals as well as new graduates from UNC Wilmington’s undergraduate and graduate clinical research programs.”

Wilmington was chosen for its strong CRO presence, Emmes CEO Christine Dingivan said in a release. “Wilmington is a center for clinical research innovation, and creating this new office will encourage even more collaboration and idea-sharing among our employees in the area. We are thrilled to expand our presence in a community viewed as an incubator for the CRO industry.”

Other CRO companies in the city include Thermo Fisher Scientific, Alcami, Quality Chemical Laboratories, Catalyst Clinical Research, PMG Research and more. According to N.C. Biotechnology Center, there are more than 60 companies in clinical research and contract manufacturing in the area.

According to Buckland, the new location will provide a collaborative environment.

“We’ve extended our view of innovation to the workspace itself,” she said in the release. “Calling it a collaboration hub instead of a typical office. It is modern, open and informal – a collegial gathering place versus a traditional office where employees are required to come in daily.”

There are plans to grow the number of local Emmes employees with recruiting efforts underway.

Emmes currently has 19 offices throughout the world. All employees have the flexibility to work from home and at an office.

There will be a ribbon-cutting event on Wednesday featuring employees, local government officials and the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce.