Program Categories: For Businesses

Ernest E. Just Life Sciences Initiative

Ernest E. Just Life Sciences Initiative

Program Overview

It is essential that our life sciences ecosystem values and embraces a diverse workforce. It is not only about equal representation, it is about the strong business case, the bottom line, and ensuring the next big breakthroughs to save lives and improve patient outcomes. That’s why here in Massachusetts, we know that the strongest life sciences sector is a diverse one.

The Massachusetts life Sciences Center (MLSC) has partnered with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) on the Ernest E. Just Life Sciences Initiative , which creates internship opportunities in the Boston-area for students enrolled in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). The second round of the program will offer internships during the summer of 2023. Students will gain valuable experience and a network of professionals to pave a path for a fulfilling career in the life sciences.

UNCF will help provide transportation, housing, and other vital wrap around services to ensure students have a welcoming, memorable, and rewarding time in Boston this summer. Please note that the program is currently offering on-site for lab opportunities only.

Impact from HBCU Schools

Black professionals face underrepresentation in STEM fields, but HBCUs help close that gap. In 2019, 27 percent of all Black STEM graduates received HBCU degrees. Between 1995-2004, 46 percent of Black woman STEM degree-holders graduated from an HBCU. At the doctoral level, nearly 30 percent of Black graduates with a doctorate in science or engineering attended an HBCU.

HBCU students have an advantage long past graduation. A whopping 25 percent of African American graduates with STEM degrees come from HBCUs. Eight HBCUs were among the top 20 institutions to award the most science and engineering bachelor’s degrees to black graduates from 2008-2012.

Though HBCUs make up only three percent of the country’s colleges and universities, they enroll 10 percent of all African American students and produce almost 20 percent of all African American graduates.

Impact on the Ecosystem

In the inaugural year, the initiative created 23 meaningful internship opportunities in the Boston-area for students enrolled in MSI including HBCUs through the MLSC’s Internship Challenge program and the partnership of life sciences companies. The Initiative provided students an opportunity to spend 10 weeks interning at various participating host companies from small to large size life sciences companies.

In addition to internship funding, the MLSC is proud to support the Ernest E. Just Life Sciences Initiative with $100,000 in additional funding to create internship opportunities in the Boston-area for students enrolled in the program.

Connect with us to Learn More

If you have further questions regarding the application process, please email: internship@masslifesciences.com.

Accelerating Coronavirus Testing Solutions (A.C.T.S.)

Accelerating Coronavirus Testing Solutions (A.C.T.S.)

Program Overview

By any measure, Massachusetts’ life sciences ecosystem is one of the most robust in the world. Whether you measure public or private investments, top research universities and academic medical centers, STEM education, R&D infrastructure, talent, or life science companies, Massachusetts leads the way in bringing healthcare innovations to patients. This life science community can positively and quickly continue to impact the current COVID-19 pandemic. The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center is in a unique position to accelerate this impact by identifying, supporting, and funding novel innovations and solutions for SARS-CoV-2 testing. The Center is soliciting proposals to improve testing solutions and address supply chain logistics bottlenecks during this critical time to ensure the safety of its constituents and the world.

This project call will leverage Massachusetts’ R & D capabilities and innovation infrastructure to accelerate the development of improved testing modalities and address supply chain logistical bottlenecks that hinder our ability to quickly and effectively combat and contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are no longer soliciting new applications for the A.C.T.S. program. We are working to evaluate funding availability and may reopen if additional funding is available.

Eligibility & Evaluation

Applicants can be Massachusetts-based for-profit companies or non-profit institutions, which includes research institutions, academic medical centers, and colleges and universities. Municipalities or other governmental entities are not eligible to apply.

The MLSC is requesting proposals to address the gaps that currently exist in SARS-CoV-2 testing. Projects funded under this grant may fall into one of the two priority response areas:

Development of Rapid, Innovative At-Home or Point-of-Care Testing Modalities: We aim to support testing innovations that are easier and quicker to perform and can be done by patients outside of a healthcare practitioner’s office.

  • Solutions that provide a low-cost, surveillance testing technology that can be deployed independently of CLIA approval or medical personnel oversight are encouraged. Solutions that cost less than $10 per test are of particular interest.
  • Solutions that will provide a low-cost test with greater than 75% sensitivity and ideally 95% specificity are encouraged.

Addressing Supply Chain Bottlenecks: Innovations or increased novel manufacturing capacity that can address the supply chain bottlenecks for existing platforms are encouraged to apply. The MLSC is aiming to support the development of novel technologies to address the lack of specialized plastic ware and development of generic reagents and supplies to allow labs across the Commonwealth to fully utilize and leverage their existing high throughput testing platforms. To the extent that applicants are proposing supply chain solutions to a closed system, which involves proprietary technology, applicants will need to demonstrate that they have taken into consideration the requirement for any necessary approvals from the manufacturer of the proprietary system.

An application may address a well-defined issue beyond the priority areas identified above must clearly articulate the positive impact on SARS-CoV-2 testing. Applicants are encouraged to provide solutions that significantly increase testing capacity across the Commonwealth.

Please see the RFP for full eligibility criteria.

We are no longer soliciting new applications for the A.C.T.S. program. We are working to evaluate funding availability and may reopen if additional funding is available.

Resources

RFP

A.C.T.S. Advisory Panel

Impact on the Ecosystem

To consider how we can return to everyday activities as safely as possible in the face of an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that we rapidly identify infected individuals. Curbing the pandemic relies on the implementation of Testing, Tracing, and Supported Isolation (TTSI) strategies.

Currently, the Commonwealth is largely dependent on PCR tests, which requires analysis of specimens in an offsite laboratory. The development of a low cost “at home” test or point of care test is critical to further scaling up rapid SARS-CoV-2 testing. Additionally, supply chain bottlenecks are emerging for molecular testing. A whitepaper from McKinsey and Company(1) identifies RNA extraction kit manufacturing and laboratory capacity as the main limiting factors to large-scale testing. In the short term, the authors encourage maximizing and expanding laboratory capacity and exploring alternative testing protocols for the longer term. Specifically, supply chain logistics around upstream sample collection and processing are limiting steps to the interoperability of sample processing. Increased universality of sample collection and processing can aid in the management of testing capacity. These represent significant challenges that need to be considered as novel tests and technologies are developed.

The need for more rapid, scalable tests, and solutions for addressing the supply chain logistics, especially in the cases of high-throughput machines with proprietary plastic ware and reagents, is critical as the Commonwealth considers how to continue to reopen as safely as possible.

(1) Behnam, Mohammad, et al. “COVID-19: Overcoming Supply Shortages for Diagnostic Testing.” McKinsey & Company, McKinsey & Company, 15 July 2020, www.mckinsey.com/industries/pharmaceuticals-and-medical-products/our-insights/covid-19-overcoming-supply-shortages-for-diagnostic-testing

Connect with us to Learn More

If you have any questions regarding the application process, e-mail: COVID@Masslifesciences.com.

Women’s Health Collaboration Program

Women’s Health Collaboration Program

Program Overview

The Women’s Health Collaboration Program is part of the MLSC’s Women’s Health Initiative. This program supports collaborative projects that aim to improve the discovery, technical innovation, and/or analysis of datasets to answer pressing life science questions around women’s health. It incentivizes translational projects that develop novel solutions to treat conditions that solely or disproportionately affect women or have a different presentation between genders.

Up to $5 million capital dollars are available for the current program round, with each award anticipated to be approximately $750,000 to support data generation and equipment at not-for-profit partners. 

The application period will run from Oct. 3, 2022 to Jan. 12, 2023 at 8 p.m. EST.

Eligibility & Evaluation

Project teams are to be comprised of not-for-profit applicants collaborating with at least one for-profit Massachusetts life science company. All not-for-profit applicants must be a Massachusetts legal entity such as an academic/research institution, a hospital engaged in research, a business incubator or accelerator, or other not-for-profit entity eligible for capital funding from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Institutions that are exclusively health care providers and/or requests for the purchase of equipment associated with standard healthcare delivery would not be eligible for capital funding.

To evaluate applications, an external panel of scientists from academia and industry with expertise in women’s health will review applications in the following categories:

  • Qualifications of the Team
  • Use of funds and value to the Massachusetts ecosystem
  • Proposed plan, including the following: unmet need/market opportunity, data generation and sharing (if applicable), scientist training, and approach to solving a key question in women’s health

Top applicants will be asked to present their proposed project plan to our review panel.

Please view the full list of eligibility requirements and evaluation process.

Resources

Post-award deliverables, confidentiality, and general conditions

Sample Application

Learn more about the Women’s Health Initiative

R.E.D.: Research Equipment Database

D.A.T.A. (Databases, Algorithms, Tools, and Analyses) Repository

Impact on the Ecosystem

Massachusetts recognizes there has been a lack of development in novel solutions to treat conditions that solely or disproportionately affect women or have a different presentation between genders. This impacts not only patients, but also employers and the healthcare system. The consequences are profound, with women more likely to have adverse drug reactions than men, and the lack of effective therapies results in reduced quality of life. The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center aims to support and incentivize translational project teams developing novel solutions in this area of need.

Learn more about the 2020, 2021, and 2022 Women’s Health awardees, including the principal investigator, industry partners, and the innovative projects.

Connect with us to Learn More

If you have any questions regarding the application process, e-mail: WomensHealth@Masslifesciences.com.

Angel Investor Tax Credit

Angel Investor Tax Credit

Program Overview

The Angel Investor Tax Credit program is offered to investors interested in funding early-stage companies engaged in life sciences research and development, commercialization and manufacturing in Massachusetts. The program provides a taxpayer investor a credit of 20% of the qualifying investment, or 30% if the business is located in a gateway municipality, in a business that has no more than $500,000 in gross revenues in the year prior to eligibility.

Credits are available up to $50,000 in any one taxable year for qualifying investments of up to $125,000 per qualifying business per year and up to $250,000 in cumulative qualifying investments for each qualifying business.

Eligibility & Evaluation

  • Taxpayer Investors must be “accredited” as defined by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and may not be a principal owner of the business or involved in a full-time professional capacity.
  • Qualifying business must be registered to do business in Massachusetts, have 20 or fewer full-time employees at the time of the investment, and have $500,000 or less in gross revenues in the year prior to eligibility.
  • A qualifying investment is a monetary investment that is at risk and is not secured or guaranteed.

Interested applicants will be required to submit an online application. This is a two-step application process that includes information from the taxpayer investor and the qualifying business to meet the requirements for the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center to make an award. Please see sections 4-6 of the solicitation for more information regarding the application process and further details on the eligibility requirements.

Taxpayer investors that receive a tax credit award and the qualifying business in which they have invested are required to provide Annual Reports to monitor compliance.

The deadline to apply is now Jan. 27, 2023 at 10 a.m. EST for submission of applications for qualifying investments made during the period January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022.

Applications would be considered complete once both the investor and the company has each completed their portion of the application. If there are multiple investors in the same company, the company only has to submit one application for the current round of the program.

Resources

Solicitation

Investor Sample Application

Company Sample Application

View the regulations for the 830 CMR 62.6.5: Angel Investor Tax Credit

Impact on the Ecosystem

To ensure the Massachusetts’ ecosystem remains favorable for investors, we are proud to offer this new Angel Investor Tax Credit to encourage investment throughout the Commonwealth and in our gateway municipalities. We are confident that such investments will create jobs, build a robust workforce, support women and minority-led companies, and propel the development of new therapies, devices, and scientific advancements that are improving patient health and well-being.

Connect with us to Learn More

If you have any questions regarding the application process, e-mail: AngelTax@masslifesciences.com.

COVID-19 Manufacturing Emergency Response Team Funding

COVID-19 Manufacturing Emergency Response Team Funding

Program Overview

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has an urgent need for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers on the front-lines of the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 response. There are immediate shortages of the equipment necessary to keep them safe from contagion while caring for our community. The Manufacturing Emergency Response Team (M-ERT), as part of a coordinated response between academia, industry, and government, has provided this program as a way for manufacturers to request funding from the Commonwealth to support the expansion of their production capabilities to make PPE equipment.

Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech) and Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), a member of the National Network of Manufacturing Innovation Institutes, will administer $5.6 million in funds through the existing Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Institute (M2I2) program, while another $4 million is available through the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. Companies can apply through a simple form for grants ranging from $200,000 to $2 million that will allow them to establish or increase production. A review committee will process applications based on several criteria including production timeline and recommend grant awards.

For more information on adapting your business to produce PPE, continue to MassTech

Eligibility & Evaluation

Funding is for manufacturers and contributing companies within Massachusetts to increase their in-state production of PPE and other critical equipment. Other applicants will be considered if they may contribute to the production of PPE and other equipment. If an applicant is not a manufacturer, the applicant must show how their request is directly tied to the production of manufacturing PPE and must show support from manufacturers for their project. This support can be agreements with manufactures or letters of support or other appropriate documentation. Applicants that do not show their direct impact and connection to manufacture are not likely to be funded through this process.

Please see the full list of Personal Protective Equipment and other equipment needed.

Funding requests for equipment, materials, supplies, workforce training and other needs related to expanding or pivoting manufacturing will be considered through this process. For workforce training grants the limit is $80,000 per company (i.e. 40 workers).

This application is open immediately and will remain open until further notice. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and evaluated weekly by the review committee.

View the full list of eligibility requirements.

Resources

M-ERT Funding Application

Information on the PPE needed, Eligibility, Type of Funding, Requirements, and Review Criteria

Information on adapting your business to produce PPE

Information on donating or selling PPE

Information for health professionals interested in volunteering

FAQs on Shortages of Surgical Masks and Gowns

Massachusetts Emergency Response Team Mission & Background

M-ERT’s mission is to mobilize, organize, and operationalize critical path work streams necessary for Massachusetts manufacturers to pivot their operations to produce needed materials in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The leaders of the Baker-Polito Administration’s Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative including the Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development and AccuRounds established the Manufacturing Emergency Response Team to assist in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in coordination with the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 Response Command Center, led by Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders. With the support and collaboration from partners at MassTech, AccuRounds, AFFOA , MIT, MIT Lincoln Labs, the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Associated Industries of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, Commonwealth Corporation, the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative, and multiple industry partners, we can address the current manufacturing supply chain issues our Commonwealth and nation is facing.  M-ERT will work to address:

  • Understanding what PPE and COVID-19 related materials are of highest priority to produce;
  • Regulatory compliance;
  • What specifications and testing are necessary; and
  • Sharing design and CAD files, along with supporting manufacturers who can pivot their operations.

For questions please email: M-ERT@masstech.org.

Seed Fund

Seed Fund

Program Overview

This program is not currently accepting applications.

The Seed Fund’s mission is to advance innovative and promising life science companies in targeted geographies throughout the Commonwealth by working with partners to leverage resources and promote economic development.

Individual investments of up to $250,000 in a convertible note will be awarded to life sciences start-ups, and up to $1 million of capital investment is available.

Eligibility & Evaluation

The Seed Fund is targeting life sciences companies broadly, which includes therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, and bioinformatics/digital health technologies.

Pre-seed to early-stage companies who have not yet raised their first priced round are encouraged to apply for this program.

To be eligible to apply, companies must be located in or intend to locate (with a significant presence or sound hiring/growth strategy) in one of the Seed Fund geographies: Amherst, Beverly, Lowell, Mansfield, North Adams, Springfield, Pittsfield, and Worcester.

At the time of investment, companies must:

  • Be physically located (with a year-long lease) in one of the Seed Fund geographies
  • Produce Certificates of Good Standing from the Department of Revenue and Secretary of State’s Office
  • Employ at least one full-time Massachusetts employee
    • Majority of employees must be employed in MA
    • Detailed offer letter for new FTE or a recent pay-stub indicating full time pay for a MA employee must be produce

Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis, and the evaluation will consist of a two phase process. In Phase I, submitted applications will be screened, and applicants will be notified within a month whether they will advance to pitch to the group or have an opportunity to schedule a feedback call.  If advanced beyond the pitch, companies will enter Phase II, which consists of deep due diligence over the next few months. All recommendations for investment are subject to approval from the MLSC’s Board of Directors.

Please Note: As part of the convertible note, the MLSC will include a Side Letter, which addresses supplemental language that may be absent from the Note Purchase Agreement. Common conditions include the following:

  • Information rights
  • Board Observer Role
  • Participation rights (a right but not an obligation to purchase its Pro Rata Share of any Equity Securities)
  • Representations (Bad Actor clause, Reps and Warrants, and MFN clause)
  • Put Right to maintain a physical presence in a Seed Fund geography
    • Majority of employees employed in incentivized geography
    • Clawback provision if failure to meet the Put Right

Resources

Informational Overview

Impact on the Ecosystem

The MLSC is pleased to launch its first-ever Seed Fund, which leverages a federal award from the Department of Commerce’s Regional Innovative Strategies Program.

The Seed Fund aims to provide up to $250,000 in convertible notes to early-stage life sciences companies who are located in particular locations to increase visibility of opportunities, highlight the regions resources, and promote economic development overall across the Commonwealth.

Connect with us to Learn More

If you have any questions regarding the application process, e-mail: seedfund@masslifesciences.com.

Tax Incentive

Tax Incentive

Program Overview

The Tax Incentive program is open to companies engaged in life sciences research and development, commercialization and manufacturing in Massachusetts. The program provides incentives to companies, of all sizes, looking to expand their efforts by creating new, long-term jobs in Massachusetts.

For interested companies, the MLSC offers info sessions on eligibility requirements, various tax incentives available, compliance and reporting requirements, application process overview and timeline for awards.  Please view info session details below for more information on dates, times, and locations.

The application period will run from Dec. 5, 2022 to Feb. 24, 2023 at 12 p.m. EST.

Eligibility & Evaluation

  • Companies must be registered to do business in Massachusetts.
  • Companies must employ at least 10 permanent Massachusetts FTEs (35 hours/week) as of Dec. 31, 2022 
  • Companies must commit to hiring at least 10 net new jobs in calendar year 2023 in Massachusetts and commit to retaining those jobs through Dec. 31, 2027.

Interested applicants will be required to submit an online application. This is a one-step application process that includes information necessary for the applicant company to be certified under the Life Sciences Act. Please see sections 5 and 6 of the Solicitation for more information regarding the application process and further details on the eligibility requirements.

Companies that receive a tax incentive award are required to provide Quarterly and Annual Reports to monitor the progress of the hiring against the commitment levels, which were the basis of the award provided. Companies not in compliance with their hiring commitments will be decertified. Decertified companies must return tax incentives to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. Please see Policies section below for the program policies regarding reporting, acquisitions, divestiture, and termination of incentives.

The deadline to apply is Feb. 24, 2023 at 12 p.m. EST.

Resources

Solicitation

Sample Application

Sample Agreement

Frequently Asked Questions

Department of Revenue Tax Information Release on Life Sciences Tax Incentive Program

Department of Revenue Tax Information Release on calculation and recapture of Certain Life Science Tax Incentives

Life Sciences Jobs Incentive Refundable Credit

Policies

Reports

Impact on the Ecosystem

To ensure the Massachusetts’ ecosystem stays the hotbed for life sciences activity, we will continue to make investments through our Tax Incentive program to create jobs, build a robust workforce, and propel the development of new therapies, devices, and scientific advancements that are improving patient health and well-being.

To date, the Tax Incentive program has resulted in combined net new hire commitments or actual new hires of 10,361 jobs among active and completed awards. After thirteen rounds of the program, 356 awards totaling more than $285 million has supported life sciences companies of all sizes, sectors and geographic distribution across Massachusetts. 

Connect with us to Learn More

If you have any questions regarding the application process, e-mail: taxprogram@masslifesciences.com.

Project Onramp

Project Onramp

Program Overview

As part of an ongoing and strategic effort to support the development of a diverse workforce talent pipeline for the life sciences industry, the MLSC partnered with MassBio, MassBioEd, Life Science Cares, and Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives (MBI) to launch Project Onramp. The program creates paid summer internships for Massachusetts college students who are under-resourced and often first-generation, helping to bridge the opportunity gap for these promising young people. Project Onramp also provides wraparound training and support for interns and their supervisors.

A primary Project Onramp partner is Bottom Line, a nationally acclaimed nonprofit that helps students from low-income backgrounds get into college and successfully graduate. Bottom Line provides our Life Science Scholars with one-on-one support every step of the way. Project Onramp also partners with Thrive Scholars and Minds Matter Boston, which are non-profits giving high-achieving, low-income students the opportunities they need to thrive at top colleges, and in meaningful careers.

Eligibility & Evaluation

Participating companies with 100 employees or fewer are eligible to apply for reimbursement of up to $9,600 per intern (up to two) through the MLSC Internship Challenge.

Resources

Project Onramp Website

Sponsor an Intern

Impact on the Ecosystem

Diversity is key to our state’s competitiveness and the MLSC is proud to work alongside the industry to ensure the sciences become more inclusive. Project Onramp is breaking down barriers and facilitating students on a pathway to success—while helping life sciences companies build a more diverse talent pipeline for the growing needs of the industry. These internship opportunities serve as a stepping-stone to a rewarding career for a talent pool that has typically had difficulty gaining access to the life science industry. The program will give the students – many of them the first in their families to attend college – hands-on experience and a valuable start towards a career in biotechnology. It will also help growing Massachusetts life sciences companies fill the  positions anticipated across the industry. In its first four years, the program facilitated 390 internships with more than 100 different companies.

Connect with us to Learn More

If you have any questions, please email Ruby Kim, Project Onramp Manager with Life Sciences Cares, at Ruby@lifesciencecares.org.

NIIMBL

NIIMBL

Program Overview

The MLSC is not an available source of cost-sharing for NIIMBL Project Call 5.1. Please reach out to NIIMBLMA@masslifesciences.com with any questions.

The MLSC has partnered with the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) to accelerate biopharmaceutical manufacturing innovation, support the development of standards that enable more efficient and rapid manufacturing capabilities, and educate and train a world-leading biopharmaceutical manufacturing workforce, fundamentally advancing U.S. competitiveness in this industry.

NIIMBL member-organizations will have the opportunity to collaborate with industry, academia, state and federal agencies, and non-profit organizations to develop methods, tools and educational programs to drive efficient, effective and safe manufacturing standards and best practices. Your organization will not only have input and involvement on NIIMBL projects, but benefit from the shared knowledge of its partners as well. Through these partnerships and potential to cost-share projects, NIIMBL members are able to shape the direction of research and provide expertise in diverse areas of biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

Eligibility & Evaluation

NIIMBL Project Call 4.1

Project Call 4.1 will occur in two phases: a Concept stage followed by invitations to a subset of teams to submit Full Proposals. Concept Paper submissions are expected to be due on October 22, 2020. Concept submissions will include a short PowerPoint slide deck with pre-recorded voiceover, in addition to a short written concept paper.  Invitations to Full Proposals are anticipated to be made around December 1, 2020. The deadline for Full Proposal submission is anticipated to be in Q1 2021. Additional details regarding Concept Papers and Full Proposals will be provided in the RFP. Download the Project Call 4.1 Technology, Workforce, and Global Health RFPs below:

Technology: Project Call 4.1T
Workforce: Project Call 4.1W
Global Health Fund: Project Call 4.1G

When submitting for a Project Call, teams with a Massachusetts-based, not-for-profit academic institution partner will be eligible to request supplemental cost sharing from the Center. MA non-profit applicants requesting MLSC cost-share will need to reach out as soon as they have been invited to submit a full proposal, and will be required to submit their complete application the week of Jan 4, 2021 for review. Select MA non-profit applicants will also be asked to present their proposals to a panel of experts. Reimbursement of funds will be provided to the Massachusetts-based academic institution for capital expenses only. The MLSC will not reimburse membership fees and other costs that are not related to equipment or construction.

Each NIIMBL Project Call will specify a deadline to provide their proposal to the MLSC in as complete of form as possible. Upon administrative review, the Center will invite the applicant to present to a panel of biomanufacturing experts. Applicants will provide a brief presentation, followed by questions from the review panel. The MLSC will provide feedback to make any changes necessary to the NIIMBL proposal to receive MLSC cost-share support. Ahead of the Project Call submission deadline, the agency will coordinate with the Project Manager to complete a Cover Sheet and provide a letter of support from our President and CEO. NIIMBL will then notify the applicant of the organization’s decision to fund the proposal.

Please note: NIIMBL approved proposals are subject to a final vote before the MLSC’s Board of Directors.

As a NIIMBL Member, you will benefit from:

Committee Seats – NIIMBL technology, workforce, and regulatory agendas are driven and shaped by the Technical Activities Committee (TAC), Workforce Activities Committee (WAC) and Regulatory Considerations Committee (RCC). Your membership may grant your organization seats on these committees. Your participation on these committees gives you a voice in shaping the technology, workforce and regulatory agendas.

Shared IP – Depending on your membership level, your organization will have access to IP developed through this initiative.

Projects – Participate in NIIMBL project calls. Your organization will have the opportunity to partner with other NIIMBL members to propose and contribute to Institute-funded projects.

Networking Opportunities – Collaboration with other members will allow you to share resources and ideas across industry sectors.

Resources

National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) Website.
Technology: Project Call 4.1T
Workforce: Project Call 4.1W
Global Health Fund: Project Call 4.1G

Impact on the Ecosystem

In 2016, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center announced its partnership in the nation’s first biomanufacturing innovation institute, known as the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL). The MLSC committed up to $20 million for five years as an anchor to the northeastern node for the biopharmaceutical manufacturing project. A consortium of small, medium and large biopharmaceutical industry partners from regionally leads the NIIMBL project across the supply chain, along with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Quincy College, UMass Lowell, UMass Medical School, and the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). 

Since 2016, the MLSC has committed more than $21 million to leverage continued investment to accelerate biomanufacturing innovation, support the development of standards that enable more efficient and rapid manufacturing capabilities, and educate and train a world-leading manufacturing workforce.

Connect with us to Learn More

The MLSC is not an available source of cost-sharing for NIIMBL Project Call 5.1. Please reach out to NIIMBLMA@masslifesciences.com with any questions.

Neuroscience Consortium

Neuroscience Consortium

Program Overview

The Neuroscience Consortium funds pre-clinical neuroscience research at Massachusetts academic and research institutions. The MLSC in collaboration with Alzheimer Disease Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital brings together company partners with researchers focused on understanding Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative diseases to further research and collaboration in the space. Companies that have participated in the Consortium include AbbVie, Biogen, Celgene, General Electric, Lundbeck, Merck, Novartis, and Sunovion Pharmaceuticals (Consortium Members). Nearly $10 million has been committed by consortium members to fund research through this program.

Eligibility & Evaluation

The consortium thrives off both commitments from biotech companies and applications for innovative translational research. Every year Consortium Members pool their resources to fund the identification and validation of novel targets for the symptomatic treatment and modification of these chronic and debilitating neurological diseases. It is required all proposals be anchored in recognized human disease genetics and pathophysiology, or within pathways of known relevance to human disease, and should be translational, rather than exploratory. Examples of such proposals might include research that:

  • Confirms or refutes the involvement of a particular pathway or mechanism in human disease;
  • Identifies new molecular targets, or strengthens the case for a potential target, or rules out a suspected target;
  • Establishes new and improved animal models of human disease in the identified focus areas, with established face and/or construct validity;
  • Develops a method for manipulating or measuring a pathway of known human pathological relevance; or
  • Identifies or validates a biomarker than can be used for drug discovery and/or development.

Applications for the current round of funding are due by Friday, June 2, 2023. Please submit your application to Dr. Brad Hyman, BHyman@mgh.harvard.edu, and Dr. Mark Albers, Albers.Mark@mgh.harvard.edu, with the subject line “MassCATs 11 Application”. The current application can be found here.

Companies that are interested in becoming a Consortium Members should contact MLSC staff to discuss further. Please contact neuroscience@masslifesciences.com.

Impact on the Ecosystem

Launched in 2013, the consortium originally adopted a broad interest in neurological diseases with a focus on neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases. Following multiple rounds of proposals, a collective focus on Alzheimer’s Disease emerged and now the consortium spends its time and effort on understanding and developing novel solutions for AD. Since inception, the program has garnered nearly $10 million in industry commitments and funded the work of 30 Principal Investigators in Massachusetts. 

Through the work of this program, public resources for neuroscience and Alzheimer’s researchers have been generated. More information on these resources can be found here:

Alzheimer DataLENS provides information on hypothesis-driven and data driven research, allowing neuroscientists to share, browse and visualize comprehensive results from bioinformatics analysis of public omics datasets. It also serves as a tool to organize and share results from MassCATS investigations.

Connect with us to Learn More

Our team is happy to discuss either joining the consortium as a company Consortium Member or applying as a Massachusetts-based researcher. To connect with MLSC staff, please contact neuroscience@masslifesciences.com.  

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