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星期四, 10月 22, 2020
City of Boston Funding Update
波士頓台灣影展11月放映「滿月酒」
購票觀眾可於10月30日(週五)至11月2日之間，在網上欣賞影片，另於11月1日(週日)美東時間晚上8點，在網上與導演鄭伯昱座談。哈佛大學東亞語言和文明系博士候選人，著有暢銷小說「永發街事」的陳濟舟將應邀與談。
「滿月酒」一片，劇本創作費時3年，2015年拍成，由徐立功監製、金馬影后歸亞蕾主演、鄭伯昱編導，在台美兩地取景。全片內容取材自導演鄭伯昱的親身經歷，描述觀念傳統的母親從最初的不能接受，到積極為兒子及其美籍伴侶尋找代理孕母，歷經曲折的心理與實際歷程。
第二屆波士頓台灣影展的主題是「失落與尋回（Lost
and Found）」（Lost and Found），「滿月酒」一片所描繪的同志身分認同，母親接受兒子出櫃，兩人關係修復，攜手為組織新家庭努力，與影展主題十分切合。
影展工作人員表示，台灣經同志們奔走多年後，在2019年5月17日締造歷史，成為亞洲第一個同婚合法國家。波士頓台灣電影展很高興能抓住十月這全球同志歷史月的尾巴，選映「滿月酒」，還正好呼應10月31日台灣的將舉行第十八屆同志大遊行，或能促使更多人思考同志議題。
影片門票每張8元，查詢詳情，可上網，影展官網：https://www.taiwanfilmfest.org/
臉書：http://www.facebook.com/taiwanfilmfestival.boston/，購票網址：https://www.taiwanfilmfest.org/buy-tickets。
麻州府斥資5080萬元援助小企業
(Boston Orange 綜合報導)麻州政府今(22)日宣佈撥備5080萬元支援小企業及其員工、家人、社區。
這筆款項將由麻州成長資本局(Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation)負責管理，分成兩部分，員工人數在50人以下者，補助款最高發7萬5000元，可用於發放薪資，福利，償還貸款利息，付租金，水電費，或是其他債務的利息。員工人數少於5人的小企業，最高可申領2萬5000元。
這一補助款旨在幫助受新冠病毒疫情影響，由婦女，少數族裔，退伍軍人或社群代表不足者所經營，主要為麻州門戶城市服務，受打擊最嚴重，未取得其他和新冠病毒有關聯邦項目補助的小企業。
麻州成長資本局管理的這補助款今日起受理申請，直至11月13日止。
索取申請表格可上網https://www.empoweringsmallbusiness.org/covid-19-response/covid-19-grants-massachusetts-small-businesses。
麻州長查理貝克宣佈7億7400萬美元恢復經濟計劃
Baker-Polito Administration Announces Partnerships for Recovery, $774 Million Economic Recovery Plan
BOSTON — Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced a
$774 million comprehensive plan to stabilize and grow the Massachusetts
economy. The plan focuses on getting people back to work, supporting small
businesses, fostering innovation, revitalizing downtowns and ensuring housing
stability. Partnerships for Recovery begins today by directing $115 million in
new funding to small businesses and Main Streets hardest hit by the COVID-19
pandemic and for workforce training efforts. Additionally, the Administration
is aligning multiple funding sources, both existing and proposed, to
appropriately respond to the crisis.
Governor Baker
Partnerships for Recovery supports five key recovery efforts:
- Getting Massachusetts back to work
- Supporting small businesses
- Revitalizing downtowns
- Supporting housing equity and stability
- Fostering innovation
Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, Labor and Workforce Secretary Rosalin Acosta, and Administration and Finance Secretary Michael J. Heffernan joined Joe Kriesberg, President and CEO of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations to announce the plan at the Gardner Auditorium.
“This plan represents a comprehensive strategy to get people back to work and to support the small businesses hit the hardest by the pandemic, putting the Commonwealth on a path to recovery,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “By leveraging existing tools and programs and implementing new ones this plan will allow us to make critical resources and assistance to those who need it most available now.”
“While we continue to combat this pandemic, this plan takes an approach that addresses key needs of the businesses in downtowns and main streets, provides housing support for vulnerable families, and opens new doors for people seeking to return to work,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “While we acknowledge we still have a ways to go, this plan will help to jumpstart our innovation economy and position Massachusetts to be on a path for success.”
- Putting $115 million to work right away for small businesses and workforce training, including more than $25 million to get people back to work;
- Directing $323 million in existing capital programs as part of the response to continue doing more of what works;
- Filing for $122 million through the Revised H.2 budget to supplement existing funding in support of struggling Main Street businesses and skill building for residents;
- Steering $43 million in Federal, trust and other state funding toward our most critical needs; and
- Committing $171 million to keep people safely housed during the pandemic.
Getting People Back to Work
In order to get people back to work, new investments are being made to build workforce skills, growing training programs and pathways, forging new partnerships between employers and workers, and supporting internet connectivity to facilitate remote work and online career advancement. The more than $25 million available now includes:
- $10.4 million to engage Massachusetts employers by expanding workforce partnerships with large employers in target sectors to create aligned statewide training-employment pathways;
- $9.2 million to subsidize internet for low-income populations, and to expand hot spots in unserved and underserved communities;
- $3.2 million to modernize MassHire virtual pathways to assess and connect UI claimants to appropriate services and supports;
- $2 million to bolster manufacturing training by purchasing a standardized virtual training program to increase workforce for the manufacturing sector; and
- $300,000 to supplement $8.4 million toward Career Technical Institutes in H.2 to help close the skills gap for skilled technician jobs and align training to industry needs.
An additional $54 million is available to support workforce recovery efforts through existing programming such as the Skills Capital Grants program, the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, and the Workforce Training Trust Fund.
Revised House 2 also proposes $17.9 million in workforce funding, including $8.4 million in funding to transform vocational high schools into Career Technical Institutes running three shifts per day. This initiative is designed to train 20,000 new workers over four years in skilled trades and technical fields including plumbing, HVAC, manufacturing, and robotics. This will consist of a combination of enrolling more high school students in high-impact vocational trade programs and expanding capacity for adults to earn industry-based credentials, aligned to apprenticeships and post-secondary degrees.
"These funds will provide critical re-employment services to our workforce, helping people make the transition from unemployment benefits to good paying jobs in some of the Commonwealth's key long term job growth sectors," said Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Rosalin Acosta.
Direct Support to Small Business and Main Street
To generate economic growth amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and support Main Streets across Massachusetts, the Administration is investing $322.8 million in direct support of small and diverse businesses and local communities. This funding includes grants (see details below) to the hardest hit small businesses, especially small businesses owned by women, minorities, veterans, or members of other underrepresented groups. These grant awards will allow small businesses to cover expenses such as rent, payroll, and utilities as they get back on their feet. Additional funding will support small businesses through hands-on and personalized technical assistance, including targeted support for women- and minority-owned businesses around digital and online technology as their business model pivots away from a brick-and-mortar location.
Many communities have seen their Main Streets and downtown districts hit particularly hard by the pandemic, and new funding aims to help cities and towns plan for short-term innovations and long-term recovery. A new $10 million round of the Shared Streets and Spaces Grant Program will continue to help cities and towns quickly implement or expand improvements to sidewalks, curbs, streets, on-street parking spaces and off-street parking lots in support of public health, safe mobility, and renewed commerce in their communities. Separately, local recovery planning grants will soon be available to cities and towns to assist with long-term planning for their business districts. A total of $10 million is available for this program.
To support the museums and other cultural facilities that have faced a particularly challenging reality this year, but remain a cornerstone of what Massachusetts offers to visitors, these institutions will be eligible for $10 million in Cultural Facilities Operating Grants. This funding will help these organizations to make safety improvements and other upgrades to allow them to continue to offer their unique attractions and exhibits.
As part of this recovery plan, the Governor’s recently filed revised budget proposal recommends over $100 million in additional funding for economic recovery and development efforts, including $35 million for community development financial institutions (CDFI) grants and loans, and $15 million for matching grants for capital investments by businesses with 20 or fewer employees. Additionally, more than $115 million in existing capital through programs such as MassWorks, and those in the MassDevelopment portfolio (Brownfields Redevelopment Fund, Site Readiness Program, Transformative Development Initiative, and Collaborative Workspaces), will be leveraged in support of economic recovery. This recovery plan complements the Administration’s $275 million economic recovery package, which was announced in June.
Small Business and Main Street Highlights (new funding):
- $50.8 million in Small Business Grants to help the hardest hit businesses;
- $10 million to continue funding the Shared Streets and Spaces Program;
- $10 million for local recovery planning grants to support cities and towns;
- $10 million to support cultural facilities such as museums;
- $8.3 million in small business technical assistance to help businesses access grant programs and loans, as well as help build business management skills, resilience, and other support in navigating pandemic impacts;
- Including $2.3 million to provide personalized technical assistance to woman- and minority-owned businesses;
“Our current circumstances call for a plan with the size and scope to match the urgency we need to address the most pressing challenges we now face,” said Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy. “By targeting vital resources toward these key areas, this strategy will allow us to lay a solid foundation for our path to recovery.”
“During this unprecedented public health emergency, the Baker-Polito Administration is continuing to invest significant resources to support recovery and growth initiatives for small businesses and Main Streets across Massachusetts,” said Secretary of Administration and Finance Michael J. Heffernan. “Through close coordination with federal, state, and local partners – including our Legislative colleagues – we are proud to put forth a plan that thoughtfully invests funds from multiple sources to equip employers with the tools, resources, and supports to help navigate the new COVID-19 landscape.”
“We greatly appreciate Governor Baker’s sense of urgency to move these grant dollars now, while also working with the Legislature to secure additional funds in the state budget and the economic development bill,” said Joseph Kriesberg, President of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations and Board Member of the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation. “Small business owners have sacrificed to help keep all of us safe and healthy. This initiative is our opportunity to have their back.”
Additional Investments
In order to keep people safely in their homes during the pandemic and support small landlords with expenses, the Administration recently announced $171 million in support of the Eviction Diversion Initiative. This comprehensive strategy includes funding to help to cover housing costs such as rent and mortgage payments, invest in new programs around mediation and legal representation, and provide repaid rehousing when a tenant is evicted. Additionally, the Administration continues to invest in the Commonwealth’s stock of affordable rental housing with $121 million in direct subsidies.
Massachusetts has long been a hotbed of innovation and creativity in science and technology, and sectors such as the life sciences and advanced manufacturing are not only critical to the innovation economy, but also continue to contribute to the response to the coronavirus. To ensure we continue to lead in this space, $62 million in existing capital funding through the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, and MassVentures is available to support recovery and growth.
Small Business Grant Program Details
Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC) is administering the Small Business Grants program, with $50.8 million available beginning today. Grant awards range between $25,000 – $75,000, and eligibility criteria and applications are available here.
As part of this grant program, preference is given to small businesses whose owners are women, minorities, veterans, members of other underrepresented groups, or focused on serving the Gateway Cities of Massachusetts, who have been unable to open and those most adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Preference is also given to applicants that have not been able to receive aid from other federal programs, including PPP and other relief related to COVID-19.
The program has two distinct
funding “doors” based on business size, with different eligibility criteria,
which is available online.
Applicants must review the information to determine which program to proceed
with applying.
Roche announces collaboration with Atea Pharmaceuticals to develop a potential oral treatment for COVID-19 patients
Roche announces collaboration with Atea Pharmaceuticals to develop a potential oral treatment for COVID-19 patients
- Roche
and Atea partner to jointly develop AT-527, an orally administered direct-acting
antiviral (DAA) currently in Phase 2 clinical trials
- AT-527
has the potential to be the first novel oral antiviral to treat COVID-19
patients outside the hospital setting as well as in the hospital and may
also be used in post-exposure prophylactic settings
- Oral,
small-molecule DAAs for COVID-19 patients allow for large-scale
manufacturing and facilitate broad patient access
- If
approved, Atea will distribute AT-527 in the United States and Roche will
be responsible for global manufacturing and distribution outside the
United States
Basel, 22
October 2020 - Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) and Atea Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. announced today that they are joining forces in the fight against COVID-19
to develop, manufacture and distribute AT-527, Atea’s investigational oral
direct-acting antiviral, to people around the globe. AT-527 acts by blocking
the viral RNA polymerase enzyme needed for viral replication, and is currently
being studied in a Phase 2 clinical trial for hospitalised patients with
moderate COVID-19. A Phase 3 clinical trial, expected to start in Q1 2021, will
explore the potential use in patients outside of the hospital setting. In
addition, AT-527 may be developed for post-exposure prophylactic settings.
AT-527, while being a potential oral treatment option for hospitalised
patients, also holds the potential to be the first oral treatment option for
COVID-19 patients that are not hospitalised. Additionally, the
manufacturing process of small-molecule DAAs allows the ability to produce
large quantities of a much needed treatment. If successful, AT-527 could help
treat patients early, reduce the progression of the infection, and contribute
to decreasing the overall burden on health systems.
The collaboration aims to accelerate the clinical development and manufacturing
of AT-527, to investigate its safety and efficacy, and to provide this
potential treatment option to patients around the world as quickly as possible.
If AT-527 proves safe and effective in clinical trials and regulatory approvals
are granted, Atea will be responsible for distributing this treatment option in
the U.S, with the option to request Genentech’s support, and Roche will be
responsible for distribution outside the United States.
"The ongoing complexities of COVID-19 require multiple lines of defence.
By joining forces with Atea, we hope to offer an additional treatment option
for hospitalised and non-hospitalised COVID-19 patients, and to ease the burden
on hospitals during a global pandemic." said Bill Anderson, Chief
Executive Officer of Roche Pharmaceuticals. "In jointly developing and
manufacturing AT-527 at scale, we seek to make this treatment option available
to as many people around the world as we possibly can."
“Roche shares our passion for delivering innovative new medicines to address
great unmet medical needs. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent
need for a novel, oral antiviral to treat this highly infectious and often
deadly virus,” said Jean-Pierre Sommadossi, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and
Founder of Atea Pharmaceuticals. “AT-527 is expected to be ideally suited to
combat COVID-19 as it inhibits viral replication by interfering with viral RNA
polymerase, a key component in the replication machinery of RNA viruses.
Importantly, the manufacturing process for our small molecule direct-acting
antiviral allows us to produce AT-527 quickly and at scale.”
About AT-527
AT-527 is an investigational, oral, purine nucleotide prodrug, which has
demonstrated in vitro and in vivo antiviral activity against several enveloped
single-stranded RNA viruses, including human flaviviruses and coronaviruses.
This highly selective purine nucleotide prodrug was designed to uniquely
inhibit viral RNA dependent RNA polymerase, an enzyme that is essential for the
replication of RNA viruses. Antiviral activity and safety of AT-527 has been
demonstrated in Phase 2 clinical studies of hepatitis C patients, and in
preclinical in-vitro assays with SARS-CoV2 virus. AT-527 is not yet
licensed or approved for any indication in the United States or any other
country.
About Roche’s response to
the COVID-19 pandemic
As a leading healthcare company we are doing all we can to support countries in
minimising the impact of COVID-19. We have developed a growing number of
diagnostic solutions that help to detect and diagnose the infection in
patients, as well as providing digital support to healthcare systems, and we
continue to identify, develop and support potential therapies which can play a
role in treating the disease.
We understand the impact of COVID-19 goes beyond those who contract it, which
is why we are working with healthcare providers, laboratories, authorities and
organisations to help make sure that patients continue to receive the tests,
treatment and care they need during these challenging times. As we learn from
the pandemic, we are partnering with governments and others to make healthcare
stronger and more sustainable in the future.
Our diagnostics solutions:
Reliable, high-quality testing is essential to help healthcare systems overcome
this pandemic. Our portfolio includes:
- a
high-volume molecular test to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes
COVID-19, (FDA Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) and available in
countries accepting the CE Mark)
- a SARS-CoV-2
laboratory-based antibody test, aimed at detecting the presence of
antibodies in the blood targeting the nucleocapsid (FDA EUA and CE Mark)
- an IL-6 test
to assist in identifying severe inflammatory response in patients with
confirmed COVID-19 (FDA EUA and CE Mark)
- Roche v-TAC,
which could help simplify the screening, diagnosis and monitoring of
patients with respiratory compromise in the current COVID-19 pandemic
- a SARS-CoV-2
rapid antibody test to help determine at the point of care whether a
person has been exposed to the virus (CE Mark)
- a rapid
antigen test to support in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 at the point of
care within 15 minutes (CE Mark)
- a
high-volume molecular test to simultaneously detect and differentiate
between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A/B, as the symptoms are similar for both
(FDA EUA and CE Mark)
- a second
SARS-CoV-2 antibody test, aimed at measuring the spike protein to support
vaccination development and complement our existing portfolio
- a
point-of-care molecular PCR test that simultaneously detects and
differentiates between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A/B infections to support
urgent triage and diagnosis (FDA EUA and CE Mark)
Roche is committed to improving the treatment of COVID-19. We are actively involved in understanding the potential of our existing portfolio and are exploring the potential of our investigational molecules.
In August, we announced a partnership with Regeneron to develop, manufacture, and increase global supply of their investigational antibody combination for COVID-19 if it proves safe and effective in clinical trials and regulatory approvals are granted.
At the beginning of the pandemic, on 19 March, we announced the initiation of COVACTA - a global Phase III randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravenous Actemra©/RoActemra© (tocilizumab) plus standard of care in hospitalised adult patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia compared to placebo plus standard of care. On 29 July we announced that COVACTA did not meet its primary endpoint of improved clinical status in patients with COVID-19 associated pneumonia or the key secondary endpoint of reduced mortality.
Separately, we have studied Actemra©/RoActemra© in the EMPACTA study in COVID-19 associated hospitalised pneumonia in patients that are often underrepresented in clinical trials. On 18 September we announced that the phase III EMPACTA study showed Actemra/RoActemra plus standard of care reduced the likelihood of progression to mechanical ventilation or death in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 associated pneumonia compared to placebo plus standard of care. However, there was no statistical difference in mortality between patients who received Actemra/RoActemra or placebo.
Actemra©/RoActemra© is also being studied in combination with the investigational antiviral remdesivir in hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia in the REMDACTA trial in partnership with Gilead, announced 28 May. Actemra©/RoActemra© is not approved by any health authority for use in COVID-19 pneumonia. Roche has further initiated an internal early research programme focused on the development of medicines for COVID-19 and is engaged in multiple research collaborations.
In these exceptional times, Roche stands together with governments, healthcare providers and all those working to overcome the pandemic.