The following are excerpts from the Boston Business Journal article originally published on April 24, 2024:
At the high-energy MassBio State of Possible Conference, Gov. Maura Healey took the stage with Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” as her podium walk-up music. But Healey quickly reminded the audience: “This is not Texas. A lot of things we do differently here.”
Speakers, including state and federal legislators, at MassBio’s annual conference focused on how Massachusetts has remained a global biotech leader — despite industry headwinds and global challenges — and highlighted ways the state still needs to evolve to stay ahead.
Healey highlighted such areas as Central Massachusetts as places of new growth for the state’s life sciences industry. As Massachusetts looks to increase its status in biomanufacturing, as Healey has previously committed, those areas could be a fertile ground for growing companies and their workforce. To compete internationally in this sector, Congressman Jake Auchincloss called for the federal government to put forward a Chips 2.0, this time focused on biomanufacturing rather than semiconductors.
“Massachusetts can lead the way in biomanufacturing, but it’s not going to happen by accident. As the governor said, it requires intentionality and focus that requires Congress to step up with the resources by investing in ourselves and in our strengths,” Auchincloss said.
Healey said her proposed Life Sciences 3.0 would also offer new opportunists to invest in areas Massachusetts can continue to grow in, including “job opportunities, health outcomes, and regionalization.”