Boston, Massachusetts (June 13, 2022) – BioConnects New England (BCNE) and Life Science Cares Boston are excited to announce a partnership to create a robust biomanufacturing industry cluster in the New England region.
With this partnership, BioConnects New England and Life Science Cares Boston aim to promote the growth and sustainability of the life sciences industry in New England through academic excellence and strategic programming. Additionally, BioConnects New England and Life Science Cares Boston agree to foster research and development collaboration on a range of projects. Life Science Cares Boston is also committed to attending the annual coalition meeting, hosting partners, and assisting with outreach to local communities.
“Life Science Cares is a fantastic organization, and we have many overlapping goals,” said Jared Auclair, Ph.D., an associate dean at Northeastern University and director of their Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Lab and co-lead of BioConnects New England. “With the help of Life Science Cares, we can reach underserved populations to create a talent pipeline, increase employment and educational opportunities, and support biomanufacturing jobs.”
“We’re very excited to partner with BioConnects New England,” said Sarah MacDonald, president of Life Science Cares Boston. “Building stronger connections between the life sciences industry with the communities they work in is what we do, and we look forward to directing our efforts to make these connections even more tangible and beneficial for everyone.”
Through its grant challenge sponsored by the Economic Development Administration, BioConnects New England is leveraging its resources in the region to create a robust biomanufacturing industry. Massachusetts-based Northeastern University leads the coalition, which includes The Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Laboratory at Northeastern University, The Roux Institute at Northeastern University in Portland, Maine, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, -the I-195 Design & Innovation District in Providence, Rhode Island, the University of Rhode Island, and FocusMaine. The coalition will lead K-12 education and engagement activities, jumpstart prototyping and incubation facilities throughout the region, and invest in accessible start-up entrepreneurship programming.
ABOUT BIOCONNECTS NEW ENGLAND
BioConnects New England is a multi-state coalition and finalist of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge—a $1 billion program sponsored by the Economic Development Administration. Through this initiative, BioConnects New England will create a biomanufacturing cluster in the region of Massachusetts, Maine, and Rhode Island that have been historically excluded from the biotechnology industry, one of the fastest-growing sectors in New England with national importance. This coalition will connect hubs throughout New England to support existing—and establish new—biomanufacturing infrastructure as a pathway to increase employment and educational opportunities for underserved regions and populations.
ABOUT LIFE SCIENCE CARES
Founded in 2016, Life Science Cares Boston has partnered with more than four dozen community organizations to direct financial resources, donated goods, and tens of thousands of volunteer hours from life science employees to reduce the immediate and long-term impacts of poverty. Made possible by companies and passionate leaders within the life science community, these grants and partnerships further Life Science Cares Boston’s goal to leverage the intellectual, financial, and human capital of the industry to collectively reduce the impacts of poverty, while helping companies build connections with the community and internally between employees. Learn more at https://lifesciencecares.org/.
