Massachusetts Governor Wants to Borrow $1B for Life Science Strategy

Against the backdrop of BIO’s annual meeting, held this week in Boston, Gov. Deval Patrick unveiled a comprehensive, collaborative Massachusetts Life Science Strategy. The plan includes a 10-year, $1 billion investment package to support biomedical and stem cell research.



Key to the governor’s Life Science Initiative is passage of legislation yet to be introduced that will strengthen the Massachusetts Life Science Center and, according to the governor’s press release, “charge it with the execution of a life science mission focused on science and economic development, strategic investments at critical stages of the development cycle, and collaboration with the private sector to create innovation infrastructure critical to both researchers and companies.” The governor also announced his commitment to making targeted investments in companies that encourage life science economic development in the Commonwealth.



Highlights of the proposal include a $1 billion investment package to provide funds to:

• Bridge the NIH funding gap – A competitive grant program to make up for recent losses and flat NIH funding at the state’s public and private research universities and medical research institutions.
• Create the Massachusetts Stem Cell Bank – A reportedly first-in-nation centralized repository of new stem cell lines available to all sectors of the research enterprise, both public and private. Boston University, Brigham & Women’s, Children’s Hospital, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Partners HealthCare and the University of Massachusetts have agreed to participate in the bank when it is completed, the governor says. 
• Establish Massachusetts Life Science Fellowship Grants – Grant packages for research institutions in Massachusetts to attract and retain the rising stars of life sciences research in the Commonwealth, and ensure Massachusetts is competitive with other states and nations.
• Establish Massachusetts Life Science Innovation Centers – Center-based research facilities that streamline technology transfer, development time and funding opportunity.

The governor’s announcement is available through: http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov3homepage&L=1&L0=Home&sid=Agov3