Joint Committee on Economic Development & Emerging Technologies Hearing @ NU
The Massachusetts State Legislature’s Joint Committee on Economic Development met at Northeastern University’s brand-new Life Sciences center in Burlington for a hearing to discuss our region’s significant involvement in the life sciences industry. State Representative Ken Gordon, who represents Burlington, Bedford and Wilmington, also serves as vice-chair of the committee. Gordon brought the Committee to Burlington to give its members a firsthand experience in the community that has become part of the epicenter of growth in life sciences. Other committee members in attendance included Senate Committee Chair Eric Lesser, House Chair Ann-Margaret Ferrante, Representative Michael Day, and Representative Donald Wong. Following the hearing, committee members and attendees toured the Northeastern Kostas Research Institute, and then relocated to Millipore Sigma for a presentation and a tour of their world-class lab space.
At the hearing, industry leaders and policy experts attested to Burlington and Bedford’s evolution into the epicenter of growth in life sciences. Government leaders included Travis McCready of Mass Life Science, Robert Coughlin of MassBio and Burlington’s Planning Director Kristen Kassner. Representatives from BI-Lahey Health, Millipore Sigma, Northeastern University, and UCB Pharma also shared their experience. Those who testified discussed a common theme of the necessity of public/private partnerships in order to further economic development in MA.
A representative from UCB Pharma of Bedford claimed that public private partnerships are “the fuel for the life-changing research happening here (in Burlington and Bedford).” Burlington’s Kristen Kassner noted various factors that contribute to Burlington’s appeal to the life science sector, including the addition of sewerage in the 1960’s zoning changes that allowed for mixed use of space, the addition of Lahey Clinic to the town in 1980, and the addition of mixed use developments such as 3rd Ave and The District.
Other major themes of discussion were transportation and education. The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center maintained that education is critical in fostering the environment that leads to these advances in research, noting that since its inception in 2007, MLSC has invested ~$18 million in STEM equipment in 191 Massachusetts public high schools, and subsequently the state has seen a 135% increase in B.A.s in science and engineering between 2007 and 2016. Dean Mike Pollastri of Northeastern University’s Innovation Campus in Burlington stressed the importance of “bringing together academia, industry and government to solve problems.” This is the motto of NU’s biopharmaceutical research lab, whose biomedical chemical research has a global impact.
The issue of transportation was also discussed. Bob Coughlin, CEO of Massachusetts Biotechnology Council pointed out that Massachusetts is currently home to 18 of the top 20 pharma companies in the world. He also shared the results of a survey conducted by MassBio, stating that 20% of the Massachusetts workforce would move to a different state for a better commute. He argued that this issue must be addressed by both public and private partners in order to keep these companies located here, and to continue to attract more companies to this area.
The fundamental theme in these discussions is that in order for Massachusetts to continue to make scientific developments that have a global impact, we must continue to foster public and private partnerships that further economic development in our region.
