Ashland, Everett and Newton Upgraded to Gold; Norton and Auburn Join List
March 27, 2018 (CAMBRIDGE, MA) – The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio®) has upgraded Ashland, Everett and Newton to Gold BioReady® Communities, and has added Norton and Auburn to its list of esteemed BioReady Communities, announced at the MassBio Annual Meeting last week.
The BioReady Community designation from MassBio signifies that a municipality has biotech and life sciences friendly zoning, has a streamlined permitting process, and has robust infrastructure in place. The designation serves to showcase Massachusetts communities that are ready to host new life sciences research and manufacturing facilities. In addition to the three upgraded towns, Norton has joined the list as a Gold BioReady Community and Auburn has been awarded Bronze BioReady Community status, bringing the total number of BioReady rated communities in the state to 84.
“The Massachusetts life sciences cluster is no longer just in Cambridge and Boston but has expanded to towns across the Commonwealth, where lab space, manufacturing facilities, and office space are more accessible and affordable,” said Robert K. Coughlin, President and CEO of MassBio. “We’re thrilled to see more towns join our growing list of BioReady Communities to support the innovation and breakthrough science that give hope to sick people around the world.”
MassBio and partner organizations across the state began the statewide BioReady Communities Campaign in 2008 to provide background to municipal officials about the biotech industry and offer guidance on how to position municipalities as destinations for biotech laboratory and manufacturing facilities.
Using a scale of Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum, the ranking system helps Massachusetts cities and towns market themselves to biotechnology companies looking to expand or relocate. As part of the campaign, the MassBio Economic Development Advisory Group (EDAG) developed criteria to both guide communities in their pursuit of biotech facility opportunities and rate them for bio-readiness to provide each with a tangible marketing tool.
To learn more, visit MassBio’s BioReady Communities web page at https://www.massbio.org/why-massachusetts/supercluster/bioready-communities.