Baker-Polito Administration Awards $39 Million in Capital Grant Funding to Educational and Research Institutions
Grants will advance scientific discovery and prepare a highly skilled STEM workforce
GLOUCESTER – Governor Charlie Baker and the Massachusetts Life Science Center (MLSC) today announced $39 million in capital funding for research centers and life sciences training facilities at colleges, universities, middle schools and high schools across the Commonwealth. An event was held today at the Gloucester Marine Genomic Institute with Governor Baker to announce the awards on the North Shore. Regional events will be held in the coming weeks to formally announce the projects that will be funded in other areas of the state.
“Our administration is proud of Massachusetts’s global leadership in the life sciences, and we are committed to advancing that standing, training the next generation of entrepreneurs, and connecting residents across the state to careers,” said Governor Baker. “The projects that we are announcing today demonstrate our commitment to investing in the innovation economy, supporting game-changing technological research, and creating jobs in every region of the Commonwealth.”
“These capital grants from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center deepen our administration’s efforts to build vibrant regions, from Cape Ann to the Berkshires,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “By training middle school and high school students on state-of-the-art STEM equipment, and creating new pipelines for workforce development and scientific breakthroughs, these awards will create new economic opportunities in communities, and help build a stronger Massachusetts.”
“The MLSC continues to make major capital investments to support education and training at academic institutions across the entire Commonwealth in order to meet the workforce needs of our state’s fastest-growing industry,” said Travis McCready, President and CEO of the MLSC. “Through these resources, our academic institutions will be better positioned to connect students with job opportunities in the Massachusetts life sciences ecosystem, and our research institutions will have the infrastructure that they need to accelerate research and improve patient care.”
“One of our capital investment plan priorities is to make strategic investments in the future workforce of the Commonwealth, including STEM programs for our students,” said Administration and Finance Secretary Kristen Lepore. “By awarding these capital grants today, the administration is once again leveraging our resources to invest in the Commonwealth’s growing biotech industry.”
“Massachusetts is building the nation’s most competitive economy by investing in workforce development, and in the infrastructure of innovation,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash. “By spurring new scientific breakthroughs, and improving the quality of STEM education for students across Massachusetts, these awards will help make the Commonwealth a more dynamic place to live and work, and they will equip local residents with the skills needed to retain Massachusetts’s title as the most innovative state in the nation.”
Governor Baker announced a total of $35 million in MLSC competitive capital funding, for research and workforce training infrastructure at 14 higher education institutions and research institutes. The awarded projects will maintain Massachusetts’s leadership in life sciences research and development, and will deepen career pathways for students from the Pioneer Valley to the South Coast. The following projects will receive funding:
BioBuilder Learning Lab, Cambridge - $500,000
The BioBuilder Learning Lab will expand its curricular offerings, expanding innovative, hands-on STEM programming to roughly 1,000 new students, as well as hundreds of secondary and post-secondary teachers and community participants.
Bristol Community College, Fall River - $4,400,000
MLSC funds will help Bristol Community College overhaul its science and engineering buildings, and upgrade its STEM laboratories, modernizing the college’s academic and workforce offerings, and allowing BCC to equip students with the skills to obtain employment in bio-molecular, biochemical, and biotechnology laboratories, and in biomedical manufacturing facilities.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston - $4,629,019
MLSC grant funding will support the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Advanced Cell Therapy Unit, which will establish partnerships with commercial partners to refine cell therapy manufacturing processes, validate manufacturing procedures, and provide manufactured cellular products for patients enrolled in FDA-approved clinical trials.
Dean College, Franklin - $297,030
Dean College will update its laboratory equipment and training programs to expand STEM programming for the college’s diverse student community, and develop new courses in biotechnology and molecular biology.
Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute, Gloucester - $2,744,219
The Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute will establish a world-class marine genomics research institute on Gloucester Harbor, integrating the dynamic components of scientific discovery, workforce development and investment, and diversifying Gloucester’s maritime economy.
Harvard Medical School, Boston - $4,345,000
Harvard Medical School will partner with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to establish a new research and education program in regulatory science and precision medicine, focusing on overcoming the most difficult steps in drug development, to address unmet medical needs at lower cost.
Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston - $4,912,307
Grant funding will support the Harvard School of Public Health’s creation of the BioBank for Microbiome Research (BIOM-Mass), an integrated platform that will dramatically increase capacity of the Massachusetts life sciences community to collect, use, and analyze microbiome-based biospecimens in human populations.
Framingham State University, Framingham - $454,000
Framingham State University will use MLSC capital funds to advance the completion and equipping of 16 new state-of-the-art biology and chemistry laboratories, and to equip classroom space for other STEM-focused academic programs, including mathematics and computer science.
Institute for Protein Innovation, Boston - $5,000,000
The IPI will build and operate an open-source antibody discovery platform focused on protein therapies, with the long-term goal of developing antibodies targeting the entire human extracellular proteome. This resource will enable scientific advances that drive economic activity, spur startup formation, and advance Massachusetts' competitive edge as the world leader in life sciences research and innovation.
Merrimack College, Andover - $500,000
MLSC funding will support the development of Merrimack’s Center for Innovation in Science and Engineering, deepening employment pipelines between the university and area life sciences and health sciences companies.
Mount Wachusett Community College, Gardner - $1,646,787
MLSC grant funding will allow MWCC to renovate and equip classroom space, upgrading aging and outdated equipment, and launching a new Medical Laboratory Technology/Clinical Laboratory Science facility.
Smith College, Northampton - $496,638
Smith College will purchase advanced instrumentation equipment for two college research centers, allowing Smith to train life science majors with state-of-the-art technology, and grounding the college’s K-12 outreach endeavors in highly relevant practice.
UMass Lowell, Lowell - $5,000,000
Capital grant funds will provide UMass Lowell with the capacity to construct new research and teaching labs in biomedical engineering, deepening the university’s capacity to equip students with the training needed to advance the state’s medical device industry.
Westfield State University, Westfield - $75,000
Westfield State University will undertake significant capital improvements to classroom space, allowing the university to upgrade biotechnology workforce instruction.
The MLSC’s Competitive Capital Program provides grants for capital projects that support the life sciences ecosystem in Massachusetts by enabling and supporting life sciences workforce development and training, research and development, commercialization and manufacturing in the Commonwealth. The program funds high-potential economic development projects by nonprofit entities that make significant contributions to the state’s life sciences ecosystem. To date, the MLSC has awarded or committed more than $405 million to support capital projects across the state.
Today, Governor Baker also announced a total of $4 million in capital funding, for 49 recipients across Massachusetts, through the MLSC’s STEM Equipment and Supply Grant Program. For the first time, MLSC is pairing capital STEM equipment grants with resources for teacher professional development, to train educators on new STEM equipment. The MLSC is awarding a total of $400,000 in teacher professional development grants to the capital grant recipients. Governor Baker announced funding for the following schools:
Bartlett High School, Webster - $16,112
Baystate Academy Charter Public School, Springfield - $110,000
Boston Educational Development Foundation, Inc., Boston - $222,415
Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical High School, Taunton - $100,000
Brockton High School, Brockton - $109,988
Brooke Charter High School, Boston - $100,000
Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, Cambridge - $105,000
Chelsea High School, Chelsea - $108,029
Chicopee Comprehensive High School, Chicopee - $105,579
Collins Middle School, Salem - $39,525
Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School, Fall River - $99,951
East Boston High School, Boston - $110,000
George Keverian Middle School, Everett - $59,629
Global Learning Charter Public School - New Bedford $107,982
Gloucester High School, Gloucester - $109,154
Goodrich Academy, Fitchburg - $105,345
Greater Lawrence Technical High School, Andover - $93,410
Holyoke High School and Dean Technical High School, Holyoke - $210,798
Jeremiah E. Burke High School, Boston - $105,700
John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, Boston - $186,420
Lynn English High School, Lynn - $57,311
Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, Boston - $110,000
Malden High School, Malden - $26,000
Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation, Cambridge - $95,000
Matthew J. Kuss Middle School, Fall River - $40,530
McCann Technical School, North Adams - $29,164
Medford Vocational Technical High School, Medford - $99,516
Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School, Lexington - $108,172
Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School, Fitchburg - $99,697
Nashoba Valley Technical High School, Westford - $101,476
New Bedford High School, New Bedford - $110,000
New Bedford Middle Schools, New Bedford - $25,000
Northbridge High School, Whitinsville - $110,000
O’Maley Innovation Middle School, Gloucester - $56,933
Prospect Hill Academy Charter School, Cambridge - $21,000
Quaboag Middle Innovation School, Warren - $50,000
Quincy Middle Schools, Quincy - $121,890
Richardson Middle School, Dracut - $60,000
Shawsheen Valley Technical High School, Billerica - $110,000
Sizer Charter School, Fitchburg - $14,780
Snowden International School, Boston - $101,600
South High Community School, Worcester - $91,609
Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School, North Easton - $99,995
Springfield High School of Commerce, Springfield - $110,000
Springfield Renaissance School, Springfield - $40,040
TechBoston Academy High School, Boston - $105,970
Tenney Grammar School, Methuen - $49,678
Veritas Preparatory Charter School, Springfield - $38,000
Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School, Haverhill - $109,342
The MLSC’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Equipment and Supplies Grant Program funds the purchase of equipment and supplies for high schools and middle schools in the Commonwealth. The program helps schools train students for life sciences careers, increase student achievement and student interest in STEM fields, and support the implementation of the state's STEM standards. The competitive program is open to vocational-technical high schools, public high schools and middle schools located in Gateway Cities, and public high schools and middle schools with economically disadvantaged student populations. To date, the STEM Equipment and Supplies Grant Program has awarded more than $16.3 million to 149 different schools and organizations throughout Massachusetts, and leveraged more than $1 million in matching funds from industry partners.
About the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) is an investment agency that supports life sciences innovation, education, research and development and commercialization. The MLSC is charged with implementing a $1-billion, state-funded investment initiative. These investments create jobs and support advances that improve health and well-being. The MLSC offers the nation’s most comprehensive set of incentives and collaborative programs targeted to the life sciences ecosystem. These programs propel the growth that has made Massachusetts the global leader in life sciences. The MLSC creates new models for collaboration and partners with organizations, both public and private, around the world to promote innovation in the life sciences. Learn more at http://www.masslifesciences.com/
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