EARLY VOTING FOR STATE PRIMARY BEGINS TODAY IN BOSTON

EARLY VOTING FOR STATE PRIMARY BEGINS TODAY IN BOSTON  Today is also the last day to register to vote in the State Primary BOSTON - Saturday, August 22, 2020 - Ahead of the September 1 State Primary, the City of Boston Election Department is reminding registered voters that a week of early voting begins today in Boston at locations around the City. The election includes the following races: Senator in Congress, Representative in Congress, Governor's Councillors, Senator in General Court, Representative in General Court, and Register of Probate. Boston City Hall is the main early voting location with early voting from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. Voters are encouraged to enter City Hall through the North Side entrance to vote on the second floor in the Haymarket Room.  EARLY VOTING Due to COVID-19, health and safety protocols during the early voting period and on Election Day will be implemented at polling locations. All poll workers will receive face shields, face masks, gloves, disinfectant wipes, disinfectant spray and hand sanitizer. Cleaning will take place at each site every two to three hours. Voters waiting in line will be instructed to stand six feet away from others and wear a face covering.  Voters registered in Boston can vote during the early voting period from Saturday, August 22, through Friday, August 28, 2020, at any of the early voting sites. No excuse is required to vote early. Hours and locations for early voting can be found here. Saturday, August 22, 2020 Sunday, August 23, 2020 Monday, August 24, 2020 Tuesday, August 25, 2020 Wednesday, August 26, 2020 Thursday, August 27, 2020 Friday, August 28, 2020 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. City Hall 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. City Hall 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. East Boston High School Gymnasium 86 White Street, East Boston, MA 02128 East Boston High School Gymnasium 86 White Street, East Boston, MA 02128 Boston City Hall 1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201 Boston City Hall 1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201 Boston City Hall 1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201 Boston City Hall 1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201 Boston City Hall 1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201 James F. Condon School Cafeteria 200 D Street, South Boston, MA 02127 James F. Condon School Cafeteria 200 D Street, South Boston, MA 02127 The sites below 12:00pm - 8:00pm The sites below 12:00pm - 8:00pm Richard J. Murphy School Cafeteria 1 Worrell Street, Dorchester, MA 02122 Richard J. Murphy School Cafeteria 1 Worrell Street, Dorchester, MA 02122 Harvard-Kent Elementary School 50 Bunker Hill Street, Charlestown, MA 02129 BCYF Perkins Community Center/ Lee School Gymnasium 155 Talbot Avenue, Dorchester, MA 02124 Thelma Burns Building 575 Warren Street, Boston, MA 02121 Thelma Burns Building 575 Warren Street, Boston, MA 02121 Dewitt Center 122 Dewitt Drive, Roxbury, MA 02120 Mildred Avenue School Gymnasium 5 Mildred Avenue, Mattapan, MA 02126 Another Course To College Cafeteria 612 Metropolitan Avenue, Hyde Park, MA 02136 Another Course To College Cafeteria 612 Metropolitan Avenue, Hyde Park, MA 02136 BCYF Tobin Community Center (Community Room) 1481 Tremont Street, Roxbury, MA 02120 Saint Nectarios Greek Church Banquet Hall 39 Belgrade Avenue, Roslindale, MA 02131 Roche Community Center Gymnasium 1716 Centre Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132 Roche Community Center Gymnasium 1716 Centre Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132 Honan - Allston Branch Library (Community Room) 300 North Harvard Street, Allston, MA 02134 Margarita Muniz Academy Gymnasium 20 Child Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 Shelbourne Center Gymnasium 2730 Washington Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 Shelbourne Center Gymnasium 2730 Washington Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 Copley Square Library (Mckim Building) 700 Boylston Street, Back Bay, MA 02116 Copley Square Library (Mckim Building) 700 Boylston Street, Back Bay, MA 02116 Jackson Mann School Auditorium 500 Cambridge Street, Allston, MA 02134 Jackson Mann School Auditorium 500 Cambridge Street, Allston, MA 02134 All early voting sites are equipped with electronic poll books for voter check in. Early voting locations are well staffed with poll workers and interpreters, and fully accessible to voters with disabilities.  At the end of each day, all voted ballots will be secured and then delivered on Election Day to each voter's precinct to be officially counted with all other ballots. Early voting was made possible by the Acts of 2014. During the 2016 inaugural early voting period, over 47,000 voters, representing over 17 percent of the total ballots cast, participated in early voting. VOTE BY MAIL All registered voters have received a vote-by-mail application in their mail boxes during the week of July 20, 2020. The application is in a postcard format. To receive a ballot, voters must first complete, sign and return the prepaid postcard application to the Election Department by August 26, 2020 for the State Primary. Voters may request a ballot using the vote-by-mail application for the September 1, 2020 State Primary, November 3, 2020 State Election or all 2020 elections. Voters may also request ballots in Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese. Residents who have requested to vote by mail can track their ballots online.  If residents never received or lost this application, they can request a new ballot application by completing this form and sending it to the City of Boston's Election Department, via mail, email, fax, physically, or dropping it off at the dropbox located in City Hall or at early voting locations during the early voting period. 1 City Hall Square, Room 241 Boston, MA 02201 Email: absenteevoter@boston.gov Fax: 617-635-4483 Absentee voting in person is available until August 31, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. at the Elections Department in City Hall. To qualify to vote absentee, registered voters must be absent from the City on Election Day, must have a religious belief which prevents them from going inside of a polling location, or have a physical disability which prevents them from going to a polling location. The application to request an absentee ballot can be completed by mail or in person at the Election Department in City Hall. Learn more about applying here. ELECTION DAY Polling locations in Boston for the State Primary election will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Election Day on Tuesday, September 1, 2020. The City recently announced 20 precinct polling location changes this cycle. Individuals can find their polling location for Election Day on the state's website. The ballot will be available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese. Language assistance will be available on Election Day by translators at polling locations or by contacting the Election Department's translation phone bank. For more information on how to participate in this year's elections, please visit boston.gov/election. MEDIA GUIDELINES Members of the media are reminded that certain rules must be followed in order to ensure a smooth voting process for voters. Interviews of voters are not allowed inside polling locations and must be done at least 150 feet away. Interviews with election officers at the polling locations are not allowed. Interview requests for the Election Department must be directed through the Press Office at 617-635-4461. Photos and b-roll shots will be allowed under the supervision of each poll's warden. Photographers are reminded that zooming in on voter ballots and shots over the shoulders of voters will not be allowed -- please respect every voter's right to a private ballot.

MAYOR WALSH AND STEERING COMMITTEE ANNOUNCE FUNDING FOR 16 ORGANIZATIONS IN LATEST ROUNDS OF BOSTON RESILIENCY FUND GRANTS

MAYOR WALSH AND STEERING COMMITTEE ANNOUNCE FUNDING FOR 16 ORGANIZATIONS IN LATEST ROUNDS OF BOSTON RESILIENCY FUND GRANTS In total, the Resiliency Fund has granted over $25M to support Boston's residents  BOSTON - Saturday, August 22, 2020 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Boston Resiliency Fund Steering Committee today announced nearly $500,000 in new Boston Resiliency Fund grants to 17 organizations and nonprofits. Since launching in March to help Boston residents most affected by COVID-19, the Boston Resiliency Fund has distributed over $25.7 million to 340 nonprofit and local organizations and there is $7.6 million in funds remaining.  "The Boston Resiliency Fund has been indispensable in allowing us to meet the needs of our residents negatively impacted by COVID-19, and contain this virus," said Mayor Walsh. "Many of the organizations that have received support have pivoted during COVID to be a lifeline for the families and seniors they know and serve. We remain dedicated to supporting families, seniors, and anyone who continues to be vulnerable due to COVID-19, its economic impact, and the longstanding impact of racial inequality." Since Mayor Walsh's launch of the Boston Resiliency Fund in March, 54 percent of grantee organizations are led by a person of color and 57 percent of grantee organizations are led by a woman. 27 percent of grantees are immigrant-serving organizations. A map and a list of every organization that has received funding from the Boston Resiliency Fund can be found here.  "The Boston Home, a residence and community resource for adults with multiple sclerosis and other advanced neurological disorders, has been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the dedication of our staff and the support of our tremendous partners, The Boston Home has been COVID-19 free for 15 consecutive weeks," said Christine Reilly, Chief Executive Officer of The Boston Home. "The Boston Resiliency Fund's generous award will enable The Boston Home to enhance its services to meet the needs of our 235 frontline healthcare staff, 93 residents, and community program members. We are so grateful to Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the City of Boston for this impactful grant." "With this support from the Boston Resiliency Fund, we'll be able to enhance our critical medical advocacy services to more effectively support survivors of sexual assault in local hospital emergency rooms, even in the face of the restrictions that the pandemic has brought," said Gina Scaramella, executive director of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. The latest round of funding will help organizations that are working to increase food access, support direct services for families, youth and older adults, and fund local organizations directly providing supports to the community. These organizations include: African Bridge Network (Renewal): The African Bridge Network plan to continue to support food security in the African and the immigrant community in Boston by distribution on grocery gift cards.The organization have identified additional partners, the Nigerian American Multi-Service Association and Church of Pentecost Boston, to assist reach new sections of the African community. They propose to serve additional 300 families with an average household size of four people. They are also proposing to work with Project Bread and other food assistance agencies to get qualified African grocery gift recipients to apply for SNAP and other food resources for the next six weeks. Lastly, they are proposing to work with the Metro Housing Boston to get qualified grocery gift recipients to apply for rental assistance through the Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance (ERMA) program for the next six weeks.  Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation (ABCDC): The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the digital divide for low-income people as more activities shift to a virtual format while not everyone has access to proper technology. ABCDC will provide laptops and technology education to 15 families in their affordable rental portfolio.  Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC): BARCC is pivoting its Medical Advocacy Program during COVID to better meet the needs of its clients. Many Boston hospitals and others call BARCC to provide critical support to rape victims in their emergency rooms. BARCC will transition this pivotal service to a sustainable and secure telemedicine model using secure software and tablets for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners to connect victims with Medical Advocates. BARCC responds to over 548 survivors in Boston emergency rooms annually. Codman Academy: Codman Academy will support families that have been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. They will optimally leverage their network of local food businesses, like Fresh Food Generations, Commonwealth Table, local farms like Urban Farming Institute, Daily Table to plan, prepare and deliver healthy fresh produce, delicious, culturally diverse prepared meals and assortment of groceries to feed our community families in need.  Elizabeth Stone House (Renewal): This grant will support the needs of some of the most vulnerable infants and children the Elizabeth Stone House serves in residence and in the  community. Of critical need are diapers/pull-ups, wipes and infant and toddler formula and toddler foods.   Fenway Community Development Corporation: The Fenway Community Development Corporation (FCDC) will support the most vulnerable residents through weekly food distribution to approximately 150 food insecure Boston residents, in partnership with Fair Foods. Each resident will receive fresh fruits and vegetables to help feed their household, as well as resource flyers on how to access free assistance when applying for unemployment, SNAP, MassHealth, or receive job skills, career training, and job placement assistance from the FCDC.  Fresh Food Generation: In partnership with The Food Project, FFG will support 125 additional East Boston residents who are in need of support with food packages that include fresh vegetables, fruits, dry goods and prepared meals.  Fundación de Milagros Marte (Renewal): Fundacion de Milagros Marte will continue to help provide baby formula and diapers to families in need. In addition, they will provide boxes of culturally competent meals and groceries for the Latino community.  Garrett Pressley Autism Resource Center: The grant will be used to purchase fourteen tablets for use by families who have children on the autism spectrum. This technology will be used to engage in virtual social skills classes, exercise, cooking classes, family support groups, and one-on-one consultation to address physical and emotional well being. The grant will also provide food gift cards to purchase essential food items for family meals. Greater Love Community Cares (Renewal): Greater Love Community Cares will provide support for residents who are unemployed or under-employed with rent, utilities, and other economic hardships. They will also hire drivers to deliver medicine and other essential supplies to seniors and immunocompromised residents. Love Your Menses: Love Your Menses will continue purchasing menstrual hygiene and postpartum care products for people in need. Since the beginning of the pandemic, they have personally packaged and delivered over 300 menstrual and postpartum care kits to girls and women in the Boston area. They will work with partners in the community, such as The Guild, to help distribute the products.  Neighborhood Development Corp (NDC) of Grove Hall: Grove Hall NDC will work with 20 non-profit organizations and churches in the greater Grove Hall area who need support to clean their spaces. They will contract with a local MBE, who is OSHA- and CDC-certified, to thoroughly clean these community spaces and train existing staff to do follow up cleaning on a regular basis.  Newmarket Community Partners (Renewal): Newmarket Community Partners will continue to provide the food deliveries, a continuation of their efforts to support last mile delivery of food to Boston neighborhoods in partnership with the YMCA, the Food Bank and others through trucking services. South Boston Association of Non-Profits (Renewal): Working collaboratively, the South Boston Association of Non-profits will bring together nine local non-profit member organizations to provide fresh food, perishable and non-perishable food items, grocery store gift cards, and prepared meals to the diverse and vulnerable populations of children, families and seniors in South Boston. The organizations are collectively providing weekly access to food pantries, grocery deliveries, cleaning products, and prepared meals,  as well as responding to immediate needs as they arise.  Talented And Gifted Association, Inc (TAG): TAG Latino Program will use this grant to purchase gift cards for 75 families who are low income and have an identified need for food support. The gift cards will support local, small and culturally-sustaining businesses, based on families expressed preferences and needs.     The Boston Home, Inc: The Boston Home will update its technology so that front line staff can provide uninterrupted care to the 93 residents and 27 community members who have disabilities and require wheelchairs due to advanced neurological disorders. Due to COVID-19, their residents are relying on technology devices  for telehealth appointments, virtual program engagement, and maintaining connection to family.

White House Hosted AAPI Stakeholders Conference Call with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao & Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, Eric Dreiband

Friday, August 21, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On August 20th, the White House Office of Public Liaison and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) hosted a conference call for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders community and business stakeholders. Both Co-Chairs of WHIAAPI, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao, provided remarks. Also joining the call was Eric Dreiband, Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division along with Chair Paul Hsu and Commissioner Prem Parameswaran of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (PAC-AAPI). Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director for the White House Office of Public Liaison, Ms. Jennifer Korn, provided the welcoming remarks along with Associate Director Alex Flemister. Executive Director of WHIAAPI, Tina Wei Smith, cohosted this important call.

“The resilience of this country’s AAPI community gives me great confidence as we make progress through the recovery effort”, said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “And rest assured, the Commerce Department will continue to deploy its resources on your behalf.” Secretary Ross went on to announce Phase Two of the Household Pulse Survey and the Small Business Pulse Survey. Both surveys by the U.S. Census are critical to informing federal and state response and recovery planning by collecting real-time data on the impact of COVID-19. Phase Two expands on the initial surveys’ federal assistance questions and asks businesses and households to communicate their future needs. Secretary Ross also reminded the AAPI community the importance of completing the 2020 Census.

“The Department of Transportation has kept our country’s transportation systems open, operational, and safe during the Covid-19 public health emergency,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao. “The transportation systems of this country had to remain open to keep our supply chains strong. Truckers kept our stores’ shelves stocked with food and other essential items and delivered much needed medical supplies. Air Traffic Controllers had to stay on the job to keep our national airspace open. Other airline workers helped keep our planes flying. Buses and paratransit operators kept communities moving. Freight had to move by rail. There are stories upon stories of American heroes during this crisis, and many of them are in the transportation sector.”

Secretary Chao encouraged the community by sharing, “the Asian Pacific American community has so much to offer to mainstream America. And our contributions to the economic vitality of our country are needed more than ever. So, thank you for all that you do to increase opportunities for our community.”
“The Justice Department is committed to prosecuting hate crimes and violations of anti-discrimination laws against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the fullest extent of the law,” said Eric Dreiband, Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. Assistant Attorney General Dreiband provided updates on college application discrimination of AAPIs, and he expressed that both him and Attorney General William Barr have instructed department prosecutors that they will not tolerate hate-motivated acts of violence of the AAPI community, particularly as it relates to the pandemic.
The President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders has been tasked by President Trump’s Executive Order to provide advice to the President, through the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, on how to broaden access by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) employers and communities to economic resources and opportunities. Joining from the Commission was Chair of the Commission, Dr. Paul Hsu and Commissioner Prem Parameswaran.

“Because of President Trump’s unprecedented action and leadership, we have realized there’s nothing wrong with our economy today. All our fundamentals are still strong. Just three months, May, June, and July we have added 9 million jobs. And we are just getting started,” said Dr. Paul Hsu of Florida, Chair of PAC-AAPI, “Working together, we will overcome this. We are Americans. We have conquered tough challenges before, our economic outlook is healthy, our better days are coming!”

Commissioner Prem Parameswaran of New York shared that, “as a proud son of Indian immigrant parents who came to the United States over 60 years ago and achieved the true American dream I am honored to be a Commissioner on the President’s Commission…we as Commissioners will work very hard in this Administration for the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders community.”

For more information on opportunities and resources, please visit www.commerce.gov/whiaapi

MAYOR WALSH, BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR

MAYOR WALSH, BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR All students will begin the school year in remote learning, families encouraged to submit learning model, transportation preferences BOSTON - Friday, August 21, 2020 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh, Boston Public Schools (BPS) Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, and Boston Chief of Health and Human Services Marty Martinez today announced that after months of community engagement and review of crucial public health data, all students will begin the school year learning remotely five days a week. All families will have the opportunity to select to stay in remote learning for the school year or opt into a hybrid plan that will include a combination of in-person and online learning.  Add caption The announcement today outlined a phased-in approach to in-school learning, starting with students who need additional time, attention, and support to be successful. BPS will then phase-in grade levels on a staggered basis to allow for students and staff to adapt to new routines, for the City of Boston to track important public health metrics, and to provide families time to plan for the new year. "Students, families and schools have faced incredible challenges this year, and I want to thank them for their work and patience. I know starting school is a complex decision, and our priority has always been to ensure the safety of everyone, while keeping equity for students at the forefront of every decision," said Mayor Walsh. "This plan was developed with the input of families, educators and public health experts, and every step will follow science and public health data. For many of our students, school is not just a place to learn, but also a place for nutritious meals, care and mentoring, and social development. Throughout the school year and beyond, we will continue the work that began long before COVID-19: to close opportunity and achievement gaps, and give every single child the quality education that they deserve."  The City is closely tracking all public health data and has partnered with BPS to establish protocols and processes to make informed decisions on a daily basis about the return to school and continued, safe, in-person learning in school buildings.  The BPS reopening plan outlines two options for families: all remote learning with five days a week of online instruction and hybrid learning with two days a week of learning in schools and three days of remote learning.  Students in the hybrid model will be assigned into Group A or Group B. Students in Group A will attend schools on Mondays and Tuesdays and students in Group B will attend school on Thursdays and Fridays. All will learn online on Wednesdays to allow for cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing of buildings. There are specific plans to work with students with disabilities, students who are working towards English language proficiency, and others who require additional time and care to support their learning.  If the public health data shows that it is safe for in-school learning the district will follow the schedule below (double dates reference the Group A and Group B starts). Each step will begin no sooner than the listed date: September 21: All students begin remote learning Thursday, October 1: Students with the highest needs start in hybrid Thursday, October 15 (B) & Monday, October 19 (A): Grades K0, K1, K2 return Thursday, October 22 (B) & Monday, October 26 (A): Grades 1 - 3 return Thursday, November 5 (B) & Monday, November 9 (A): Grades 4 - 8 (secondary schools start grades 6 - 8) return Monday, November 16 (A) & Thursday, November 19 (B): Grades 9 - 12 return "Science and data is at the forefront of every single plan as we work to gradually and safely reopen the City of Boston," said Chief of Health and Human Services Marty Martinez. "By phasing grades in every two weeks, teachers and school staff will have the time they need to get comfortable with the safety of their buildings and classrooms before students arrive, and allow us to monitor for any COVID activity between phases. As we have said from the beginning, these dates are dependent on public health data, and we will be closely monitoring the public health situation while creating a safe space for Boston's students to learn." To inform planning, this summer BPS has engaged in more than 33 community meetings with more than 4,000 stakeholders, held in 10 different languages, including meetings with unions, nurses and public health officials, two School Committee meetings and one City Council meeting. The district has released two drafts of the reopening plan. The feedback gathered shaped the planning process, especially between the first and second drafts. "Equity remains at the center of Boston Public Schools' planning for a safe and successful start to the school year. This plan prioritizes meeting the needs of our most vulnerable learners, respects family choice, and is thorough, thoughtful and responsive to the feedback we have received from families and teachers," said BPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius. "We are excited for the new school year and will continue to support the social, emotional, and physical wellness of our students, staff and community as we lift up equity, promote health and safety, and ensure educators, staff, and families are prepared to support our students in their learning." The City and BPS have been hard at work preparing school buildings for the return of students and staff, through cleaning, ordering of supplies and personal protective equipment, fixing windows, updating options for air flow, and developing health and safety protocols. All students and staff in schools will wash and sanitize their hands frequently, wear masks, and practice safe distancing. Classrooms have been reconfigured and new daily procedures have been developed for routine cleaning of classrooms, hallways and bathrooms. Students who use yellow bus transportation will follow the same process, and BPS is in contact with the MBTA to plan for student transportation. The district has also spent the summer reviewing data and feedback on spring remote learning and is strengthening this option with additional clarity on learning expectations; support for teachers, students, and families; and accountability for students making progress. This includes adopting districtwide technology platforms, a renewed focus on social and emotional learning, and additional outreach to families.  This week, BPS sent a selection form to families, available in 10 languages, asking them to indicate a learning model preference for each BPS student in their household. Next week, BPS will begin making calls to families who have not completed or may not have received the form to assist them with completing it. BPS will also email all families to confirm their selections, and will later provide a school schedule and yellow bus transportation information, as applicable. Families may also request a change in their initial preferences selected in the form before the start of the school year. For more information about learning models, as well as the most recent draft of our reopening plan, please visit bostonpublicschools.org/reopening. Families with questions can contact reopening@bostonpublicschools.org.

Massachusetts Life Sciences Center announces $15 million in capital funding to support innovation infrastructure, data repositories, and scientific training

Funding awarded through Life Sciences Center’s Open Capital and Bits to Bytes programming to support life sciences ecosystem

Waltham—Today, the Baker-Polito Administration and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) announced more than $15 million in capital funding to support life sciences innovation infrastructure, the development of key data repositories, and training for scientists across the Commonwealth. In total, 17 projects are receiving funding to support the life sciences ecosystem. The MLSC awarded funding through its Open Capital program and Bits to Bytes program. Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy made the announcement during remarks at MALSI+ 2020, a virtual gathering of scientific innovators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors whose groundbreaking work across the globe is addressing life science innovation.

“In the life sciences, we are at a watershed moment, where new ideas and innovative strategies are needed to accelerate the creation, growth, and success at all levels of our ecosystem,” said Secretary Kennealy, who also serves as Co-Chair of the MLSC’s Board of Directors. “The Baker-Polito Administration remains committed to providing key investments to ensure the upward trajectory of the life sciences sector in Massachusetts as a mechanism for workforce and economic development, and scientific advancement.”

“These investments highlight the Baker-Polito Administration’s continued commitment to funding essential science infrastructure and workforce training in order to help propel important discoveries and further strengthen the life sciences industry as we navigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” said Executive Office of Administration and Finance Secretary Michael J. Heffernan, who also serves as Co-Chair of the MLSC’s Board of Directors. “The MLSC continues to work diligently with its partners in industry and academia to prioritize capital investments that promise a strong return for the Commonwealth while maximizing impact to better serve human health and improve patient outcomes.”

“There is no doubt that we live and work in a different world in which data and other revolutionary technology have unlocked new tools and new potential in the life sciences and basic research, that can and will lead our society to a better understanding of human health,” said MLSC Interim President & CEO Damon Cox. “The MLSC continues to serve in a unique position to work collaboratively and embrace its role as a steward of investment and strategy in order for Massachusetts to sustain its leader post in life sciences innovation.”

The MLSC believes that investment in various kinds of infrastructure—from core facilities, to incubator space, to repositories of scientific data—is required to create and sustain the attributes that make Massachusetts attractive to innovation clusters. The Open Capital program provides grants for state-of-the-art equipment and infrastructure that support the life sciences ecosystem in Massachusetts. To date, the MLSC has awarded or committed more than $480 million to support capital projects across the state. Funding through this year’s Open Capital round supported equipment and expansion projects at academic organizations, research institutions, research hospitals, startup incubators and other non-profit organizations.

In this round, the MLSC awarded approximately $10.4 million in funding to 11 projects. This includes Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), which is receiving $877,314 to support the campus’ Cell Engineering Research Equipment Suite (CERES). MLSC funds will support the purchase of key equipment to create a modular core facility focused on high throughput cell analytics. These assets will allow academic researchers and industry scientists to investigate ways to improve public health by accelerating development of innovative treatments, and creating jobs and preparing the workforce needed to grow a thriving biotechnology industry in the Commonwealth. The CERES core facility will provide startups access to resources needed to bring cell-based products to market. A major indicator of success will be the growth and maturation of the biotech discovery ecosystem in central Massachusetts, especially in the number of startup companies supported by CERES at WPI.

“I am grateful to the MLSC for supporting WPI in the important work of developing a cutting-edge facility where researchers can pursue innovative medical treatments for human disease,” said Bogdan Vernescu, vice provost for research at WPI. “CERES will be co-located at the WPI Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center, expanding WPI’s research and training contributions to the biomedical community in the greater Worcester region.”

The MLSC launched Bits to Bytes in 2019 to provide grants for projects that generate and analyze large datasets to answer pressing life science questions, and to attract and train data scientists in the Commonwealth. The goal of Bits to Bytes is to employ data analytics and/or machine learning techniques to develop a greater understanding of various medical conditions to develop optimal treatments to improve patient health. Additionally, the MLSC and its partners are committed to a collective goal of attracting, training, and retaining data scientists to the life sciences. Exposing data scientists to projects with a focus on human health can encourage the application of their much needed skill sets to the industry and mission-driven work of the life sciences. Awardees comprise of not-for-profit organizations collaborating with at least one for-profit Massachusetts life science company. In total, six projects are receiving funding totaling $4.6 million with 14 industry partners.

Massachusetts General Hospital is receiving $666,500 to support its collaborative efforts to facilitate drug development for neurodegenerative diseases by generating a large-scale, longitudinal dataset of digital behavior across age, disease severity, and diagnosis. Neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) affect a range of human behaviors including arm function, speech, vision, and facial expression. Abnormalities in these functions are subtle prior to diagnosis and progress relatively slowly over time. This makes it challenging to both accurately diagnose the disease early, in order to intervene and prevent neurodegeneration, or to determine if a disease modifying drug candidate or therapy could be effective in slowing progression. The project team will build a “neurology vital signs phone booth” equipped with a suite of high definition instruments to collect and process targeted eye movement, facial expression, limb and body movement, speech, and cognition data known to have shared importance across neurodegenerative diseases. This data set will aid health analytic and pharmaceutical companies across the Commonwealth to use computational approaches to solve a key problem in neurodegenerative disease research and drug development.

“The Mass General Department of Neurology is grateful to the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center for supporting this large-scale and multidisciplinary project,” said Anoopum Gupta, MD, PhD, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital. “We are excited to form a team of neurologists, drug developers, computer scientists, and digital health companies to generate the datasets and create the analytics needed to address a key challenge in neurodegenerative disease: how to detect early signs of neurodegenerative diseases and how to sensitively measure disease progression.”

In recent months, the Center has been proud to be part of the Commonwealth’s ongoing effort to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, including contributing funding and resources to the Manufacturing Emergency Response Team (M-ERT) and the Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogen Readiness. These recent contributions are in addition to its continued administration of various programs and other initiatives to support the life sciences sector. The MLSC’s portfolio of programs has strategically deployed more than $700 million in Massachusetts, through a combination of grants, loans, capital infrastructure investments, tax incentives, and workforce programs. These investments have created thousands of jobs, and propelled the development of new therapies, devices, and scientific advancements that are improving patient health and well-being in Massachusetts and beyond. The Center launched a new round of Bits to Bytes this past Monday, with applications due December 10, 2020. Other funding programs will launch over the next few weeks.

Open Capital Program Awardees:

Awardee: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Project Title: Organ-on-Chip Facility in a Hospital Setting

Awardee: Mansfield Bio-Incubator     
Project Title: Mansfield Bio-Incubator Laboratory Infrastructure Expansion Project

Awardee: UMass Amherst
Project Title: Acquisition of Synapt G2-32k Mass Spectrometer for Biopharmaceutical Research

Awardee: UMass Amherst   
Project Title: Enhancement of the UMass, Amherst Light Microscopy Facility for Cutting Edge Workforce Training

Awardee:  UMass Amherst
Project Title: MLSC Open Capital Flow Cytometry at UMass Amherst

Awardee: UMass Amherst   
Project Title: SampleJet, High-Throughput Sample Changing Robot for NMR

Awardee:  UMass Boston          
Project Title: NextGen Sequencing at the Next Level: The University of Massachusetts Boston CPCT Genomics Core

Awardee: UMass Lowell            
Project Title: Expanding Core Research Facilities Capabilities for Partners in Northeast Massachusetts

Awardee: UMass Medical School          
Project Title: UMass Medical School Positron Emission Tomography Center

Awardee:  UMass Medical School         
Project Title: Enhancing Innovation in Drug Discovery at UMass Medical School

Awardee: Worcester Polytechnic Institute        
Project Title: Cell Engineering Research Equipment Suite

Bits to Bytes Program Awardees:

Awardee (PI(s), Institution): Christina Baer; Dorothy Schafer, UMass Medical School
Industry Partner(s): Tiaki
Project Title: Spatial Transcriptomic Approaches to Map Neuroinflammation in Neurodegenerative Disease

Awardee (PI(s), Institution): Raul Mostoslavsky; Nabeel Bardeesy; Gad Getz; Leif Ellisen; Keith Flaherty, Massachusetts General Hospital
Industry Partner(s): Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Agios Pharmaceuticals
Project Title: An Integrative Platform to Understand and Exploit Cancer Metabolism

Awardee (PI(s), Institution): Steven Horng, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Roger Mark, MIT
Industry Partner(s): Philips Healthcare, Philips Research North America
Project Title: Creating and Integrating an Echocardiogram and Electrocardiogram Extension to the MIMIC Database

Awardee (PI(s), Institution): Daniel Haehn, UMass Boston
Industry Partner(s): DeepHealth, Inc.
Project Title: The Oregon-Massachusetts Mammography Database (OMAMA-DB)

Awardee (PI(s), Institution): Howard Sesso, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Industry Partner(s): Biogen, Life Epigenetics, Nightingale Health, Olaris
Project Title: Natural History of Neurofilament Concentrations and Mechanisms of Healthy Aging Using Data Science

Awardee (PI(s), Institution): Anoopum Gupta, Massachusetts General Hospital
Industry Partner(s): Biogen, WKD.SMRT
Project Title: Facilitating Drug Development for Neurodegenerative Diseases by Generating a Large-Scale, Longitudinal Dataset of Digital Behavior Across Age, Disease Severity, and Diagnosis