Category: Massachusetts
Participation comes from academic institutions and companies across the state
Waltham, Massachusetts - The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center’s 2010 Internship Challenge has received an overwhelming response since its February launch, with nearly 900 applicants seeking internships this summer. Over 130 companies from all sectors of the life sciences community have combed through hundreds of resumes, held numerous interviews, and selected interns to hire. Through the Challenge, 164 interns have been matched with 93 life sciences companies, a more than 50% increase from the 104 interns selected in 2009.
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center’s Internship Challenge is a workforce development program focused on enhancing the talent pipeline for life sciences companies in Massachusetts while providing interns with practical, “hands on” experience that prepares them to step into the workforce ready to meet the job requirements of life sciences employers. The program is providing paid summer internships to undergraduates, graduate students, and recent college graduates from 46 different colleges and universities.
Center will provide $2.48 million to support four early-stage life sciences companies
Waltham, MA – The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (the “Center”), a quasi-public agency tasked with implementing the state’s ten-year, $1 billion Life Sciences Initiative, today announced the awarding of $2.48 million in loans to four early-stage life sciences companies. The Center’s Accelerator Program provides loans of up to $750,000 to early-stage companies engaged in life sciences research and development, commercialization and manufacturing. The Center’s Board of Directors approved the first round of 2010 Accelerator loans today. Four companies were authorized to receive loans out of thirty-nine applications that were submitted to the Center and competitively peer-reviewed. A second round of the Program is scheduled for the Fall of 2010.
At two-year mark, state’s Life Sciences Initiative provides strong return on investment
Waltham, MA – The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center is providing a $50,000 grant to the Massachusetts Life Sciences Collaborative to support an initiative aimed at strengthening the state’s biomanufacturing sector through a Massachusetts Biomanufacturing Roundtable and the development of a comprehensive Biomanufacturing action agenda during the 2010 calendar year. The Biomanufacturing Roundtable includes participation from influential life sciences, biomanufacturing, academic, and government leaders, including Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO, Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister. The Roundtable is co-chaired by Taligen Therapeutics CEO Abbie Celniker, Acceleron Pharma Senior Vice President of Manufacturing Bob Steininger, and former Pfizer Vice President Mickey Koplove.
Application period opens on June 21st
Contact: Angus G. McQuilken, MLSC VP for Communications
Boston, MA – Governor Patrick, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, MassBio and MassMEDIC today urged qualifying companies to apply for the Therapeutic Discovery Tax Credit, a new federal program created under the Affordable Care Act to support biomedical research. Qualifying companies may apply to the new federal program starting on Monday, June 21, 2010 with applications due by July 21, 2010. Applicants will receive a determination no later than October 29, 2010. More information is available on the web site of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, www.masslifescience.com.
Center Awards $1.5 million to foster job growth and technology commercialization in the Massachusetts Life Sciences Supercluster
For Immediate Release: Date: May 28, 2010
Contact: Angus G. McQuilken, MLSC VP for Communications
Phone: (617) 921-7749 Email: amcquilken@masslifesciences.com
“This is all about jobs. By helping life sciences companies grow, we create new opportunities for people to work,” said Governor Deval Patrick. “As we continue to strengthen our global leadership in the life sciences, this program will meet an important need and make Massachusetts an even more attractive place for life sciences companies to locate and grow.”
Waltham, MA – The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center’s Board of Directors today awarded $1.5 million in Small Business Matching Grants to three life sciences companies in Massachusetts. The companies receiving grants are Boston Biochem Inc. and Tetragenetics Inc., both of Cambridge and Thermedical Inc. of Somerville. Each company will receive $500,000 from the Center to match federal small business grant funding that the companies had previously been awarded. The grants represent the first round of awards issued under the Center’s Small Business Matching Grant (SBMG) Program. The three companies that are receiving awards have committed to collectively creating 40 new jobs in the Commonwealth by the end of 2011, including six jobs to be relocated from New York.
The Center’s Small Business Matching Grant Program, launched in January 2010 as part of the state’s ten-year, $1 billion Life Sciences Initiative, will match federal small business grant funding for early-stage life sciences companies engaged in life sciences research and development, commercialization and manufacturing in Massachusetts. Goals of the program include the creation of jobs in Massachusetts by the commercialization of products with high potential for market adoption and penetration.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Juan Martinez
Tuesday, May 25, 2010 Kim Haberlin
Heather Johnson
Caitlin Coyle
617-725-4025
Discuss area job growth under state's ten-year, $1 billion Life Sciences Initiative. 64% of dollars invested thus far have been in Central Massachusetts
WORCESTER – Tuesday, May 25, 2010 - Governor Deval Patrick and Susan Windham-Bannister, President & CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, visited Worcester Polytechnic Institute's (WPI) Gateway Park today for a discussion of life sciences job growth in the park and the region. WPI recently received approval for a $6.6 million grant from the Center for Phase II construction at Gateway Park. The Governor met with leaders from WPI, the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Sciences, and Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI), all of whom have benefitted from the Center's investment. The Governor also met employees of the companies and organizations located in the park, including employees of RXi Pharmaceuticals, a company that is participating in a cooperative research project with UMass Medical School (UMMS) that is funded through the Center's Cooperative Research Matching Grant Program. Both grants were made under the Patrick-Murray Administration's 10-year, $1 billion Life Sciences Initiative.
Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray joins life sciences leaders for ribbon-cutting ceremony
The Center’s Flagship Investment Program provides working capital to early-stage companies
For Immediate Release: Date: February 24, 2010
Contact: Angus G. McQuilken, MLSC VP for Communications
Phone: (617) 921-7749 Email: amcquilken@masslifesciences.com
Waltham, MA – The Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center today approved the launch of the 2010 Accelerator Loan Program, the second year of the Center’s flagship investment program that provides working capital to early-stage life sciences companies. The Center will begin accepting online applications on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 with an application deadline of Wednesday, March 24, 2010. A subsequent round will be conducted in the fall, with application dates to be announced. Applications will be accepted via the Center’s web site at www.masslifescience.com.
The Program has been capitalized with $5.5 million for 2010. This year’s program will offer loans of up to $750,000 per company, an increase from the 2009 maximum loan amount of $500,000. The Program seeks to “de-risk” start-up companies that are in need of financing to serve as flexible working capital or for the purchase of capital assets to help selected companies achieve product development milestones and obtain private investment. In addition, the loan terms will now include a warrant which will give the Center the right to purchase equity in the company at a specific price within a certain time frame.
For Immediate Release: Date: 02/24/10
Contacts:
Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
Angus G. McQuilken, Vice President for Communications
Phone: 617-921-7749 Email: amcquilken@masslifesciences.com
WPI/Gateway Park
Michael Cohen
Phone: 508-868-4778 Email: mcohen@wpi.edu
Grant leverages $25 million private investment for development of a new facility that will create jobs, house young companies and provide training programs in the life sciences
Waltham, MA— The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Board of Directors today awarded a $6.6 million grant to Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) to support the next phase of life sciences related development at Gateway Park in Worcester. The grant leverages $25 million in private investment for the development of a new 80,000-square-foot life sciences facility anticipated to create 120 construction jobs and 142 new permanent jobs at completion.
The grant supports the development of WPI’s Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center (BETC); a new incubator for Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI); and expanded academic and research space, including new facilities for the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science. The BETC is planning a 10,000-square-foot facility that will provide hands-on biomanufacturing training to support industry workforce development. MBI is planning to expand its incubator resources by developing a new wet-lab core facility to help more companies launch, grow and provide jobs. MBI currently operates three life sciences incubators in Central Massachusetts (one of which is located in the first Gateway Park building) and has graduated 30 companies, creating 265 new jobs since 2000.
For Immediate Release: Date: February 11, 2010
Contacts:
Dr. Andrew Fox Angus McQuilken
President & Founder Vice President for Communications
Wadsworth Medical Technologies Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
Cell: 508-789-6531 Cell: 617-921-7749
CEO says he’s “paying it forward” for Life Sciences companies in the state
Westborough, MA – Wadsworth Medical Technologies today announced it has replaced its two out-of-state manufacturers and suppliers with companies based in Massachusetts. The Westborough-based medical device company has hired Baril Corporation of Haverhill and G&F Industries of Sturbridge to produce and distribute DermaLOC, its non-invasive, needleless wound closure system. Wadsworth hopes that its decision will help create jobs in Massachusetts and increase the tax base in these communities.
“The decision to relocate our manufacturing and distribution operations to Massachusetts was a no-brainer,” said Dr. Andrew Fox, President & CEO of Wadsworth Medical Technologies. “There are so many networks within the Commonwealth to support the growth and development of small life sciences companies like Wadsworth that it didn’t make sense to deal out-of-state.”
Last year, Wadsworth Medical Technologies received an Accelerator loan from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, a quasi-public agency tasked with stimulating the life sciences sector in Massachusetts. Fox says he sees this decision to support Massachusetts manufacturing and supply companies as a way to “pay it forward.”
