Healey commits to extending life sciences law
Photo | Courtesy of State House News Service
Senate President Karen Spilka and Gov. Maura Healey talk at the BIO International Convention Tuesday in Boston, where the governor pledged to reauthorize the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative. Former senator and MassBio CEO Joseph Boncore, who now lobbies for the organization, looks on.
Gov. Maura Healey plans to continue a high-dollar commitment to the life sciences sector that began under former Gov. Deval Patrick, and her administration is also launching a new platform to recruit diverse hires to the sector and provide training opportunities.
Healey used her appearance Tuesday at the BIO conference to affirm her commitment to reauthorizing the major initiative that began in 2008 with a $1 billion investment in the life science sector over a 10-year period. Former Gov. Charlie Baker in 2018 signed off on $623 million in additional bond authorization and tax credits for the sector over five years, and lawmakers through last year's economic development bill extended the program until 2025.
"We remain committed to this partnership because it's rooted in our state's identity, and it's advanced both our scientific leadership and our economic development and competitiveness," Healey said at the conference, which as of Monday morning had logged 18,000 registrants. "We're looking right now to continue work with a coalition of industry leaders and our state Legislature to plan the next iteration of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative when the current initiative expires in 2025. How can we build? How can we be even bolder, and bigger, and better?"
Speaking to MassBio members at the convention's Massachusetts Pavilion exhibit space, Healey said her administration wants to work with "all" of its partners to determine what a "meaningful, kickass reauthorization looks like." Massachusetts will remain a national and global leader in the life sciences sector, vowed Healey, who was joined by Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao, Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones, and Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President and CEO Kenn Turner.
A life sciences sector group within the state's Economic Development Planning Council, tasked with developing the administration's economic development policy, will provide recommendations on supporting the industry, a Healey spokesperson told the News Service.
The administration will use that guidance as it develops legislation that reauthorizes the life sciences initiative, the spokesperson said. Healey stopped short of predicting the potential scope andduration of the authorization, though she told the News Service more details will be shared before the end of the year, which is when the economic development plan is due.
Senate President Karen Spilka, who joined Healey at the Massachusetts Pavilion, also declined to speculate about the size of a new life sciences law.
"We have a little time to figure that out clearly, but we want to make sure that folks know we have a commitment to the sector," Spilka told the News Service. "We started back in 2008 -- I'm proud to have been a part of it to begin with and as the years unfold, clearly we are the global center for life sciences. And we want to make sure that we don't rest on our laurels and continue to be the center for life sciences."
In her opening remarks, Healey repeatedly signaled her intent to lure more life sciences employers to the state, as she invoked companies like Moderna, Takeda and Sanofi that have "proven the benefit of having R&D and manufacturing in close proximity."
"We want to build on this model across every region of our state, for both our homegrown companies and anyone looking to expand here," Healey said. "I want you to know that we're holding a spot on the roster for all of you right here in Massachusetts, and I want to personally invite you to join our team."
The state's return on investment is "fantastic," Healey said, although she did not outline any statistics. Ahead of the conference last week, Healey and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center had announced $24.4 million in tax incentive awards, which is expected to create about 1,600 jobs at 43 life sciences companies.
Healey's commitment to extending the life science law may go a long way toward ensuring continued favorable treatment of the sector by state government, which faces constant calls for government funding and services and complaints that the needs of small businesses are not given enough attention.
Healey also promoted a new MassTalent platform to shore up the workforce in sectors including life sciences, clean energy and advanced manufacturing -- and to provide job seekers with training opportunities. Some $50 million is available in the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund to support partnerships for training partners and companies, Healey said.
On the MassTalent website, officials outline in-demand roles such as biomanufacturing associates, lab support technicians, quality assurance associates, manufacturing technicians, maintenance technicians and operations associates. The website also includes links to a slew of job resources, such as to the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center programs, where users are told they can learn more about apprenticeships, internships, tax credits and grant funding.
One prong of MassTalent, which the administration dubbed Pathmaker, will fund training partnerships for life science companies and training providers, Healey said. Pathmaker is funded through the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. Healey's office is envisioning training programs spanning eight to 10 weeks that are free and "accessible" to students, as well as to adults who received a high school education and have no prior experience.
The administration intends to finalize a request for proposals for Pathmaker this summer, before the program -- supported by initial funding of $2 million -- launches this fall. About 150 to 200 students are expected to graduate in the first quarter of 2024, with training tracks focused on biomanufacturing, advanced medtech manufacturing, and quality assurance and quality control, the governor's office said.
"It's focused on the alignment, which we know is so, so important to make sure that industry is in the room to tell us how we can better train the workforce that you need, partnering with our vocational schools, and our career technical institutes, and our community colleges, and other programming out there," Healey said. "It's also focused on speed... We want to work on getting folks trained up, skilled up as quickly as possible into jobs without needless delay or any barriers."
At the conference on Monday, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced that the city will add 1,000 new biotech and life science workers by 2025, backed by the launch of a $4 million grant application that's design to link companies to city residents.
As Healey sees it, Wu's pledge is a signal that Massachusetts is "all in" on building a "strong, diverse skill workforce" that takes the life sciences industry to "new heights."
On May 24, the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council announced plans to launch Bioversity to link underrepresented populations with life sciences training pathways and employer connections. Bioversity will operate a 4,000-square-foot workforce training center in Dorchester at the Southline Boston development on the site of the old Boston Globe headquarters. Programs will be offered at no cost and will provide a stipend to offset lost work hours and feature completion timelines of 8 to 12 weeks. Bioversity plans to graduate 100 students in its first year and 170 annually within its first five years.
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