In an effort to “realign” its headcount with the company’s “business needs,” Raleigh, N.C.-based contract research organization (CRO) INC Research laid off 34 employees—or 3%—within its U.S. clinical operations. Internet news outlet WRAL.com in Raleigh reported Trisha Vonder Reith, INC’s executive director of corporate communications, as stating:

“We reduced full-time staff by 3% last week. It was essentially better to align our headcount with our business needs.”

The company stated that, because certain projects had not been ramping up as quickly as expected, they needed to make the appropriate staff adjustments. The layoffs may cause an issue with grants INC received from the North Carolina State Department of Commerce. INC received $14.8 million in state money with the stipulation that the CRO created a specific number of new jobs in Wake County.