Program Categories: For Businesses

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, December 8, 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.  

Milestone Achievement Program

Milestone Achievement Program

Program Overview

The Milestone Achievement Program (MAP) was designed to address the needs of early-stage life sciences companies by providing grant funding to execute critical, value-creating technical milestones. This program aims to fill a gap within the existing funding environment to enable early-stage companies to attract additional follow on funding.

Impact on the Ecosystem

The MLSC recognizes that many innovative companies are a milestone away from reaching an inflection point to further the success of the technology and advance the company overall. 

In 2019, the agency awarded  more than $1.9 million in funding to 10 life sciences companies, located across six Massachusetts communities. 

Early-stage programming like MAP bridges the funding gaps associated with long life sciences R&D cycles. The Commonwealth’s support for early-stage activity helps ensure a diversity of entrepreneurs within the life sciences industry, while enabling new partnerships and collaborations, acquisitions, and continued talent recruitment.

Learn more about our 2019 Milestone Achievement Program awardees.

Connect with us to Learn More

If you have any questions regarding the application process, email: map@masslifesciences.com

Massachusetts Transition and Growth Program

Massachusetts Transition and Growth Program

Program Overview

The Massachusetts Transition and Growth Program (MassTAG) is a recruitment tool targeting life sciences companies considering their first presence in Massachusetts. This highly competitive program is designed to attract out-of-state, international, and newly formed companies that meet MLSC’s strategic objectives to become part of the Massachusetts life sciences ecosystem.

Successful applicants will receive grant awards based on net new jobs created within the company’s first 12 months of Massachusetts operations, to be paid out retroactively in three annual installments.

Eligibility & Evaluation

This program is available to companies life sciences companies that meet the following criteria:

  • No current presence in MA
  • Commit to creating more than 10 and fewer than 49 jobs in the first 12 months of MA operations
  • Address critical needs in the MA life sciences ecosystem

Grants will be provided on a per-job basis in amounts comparable to the awards provided under the MLSC’s existing tax Incentive program and will be evenly dispersed retroactively over a three year period assuming the job commitments are met each year based on the company’s grant agreement.

Acceptance of awards under this program does not disqualify companies from applying to other applicable MLSC programs.

Resources

Interested companies, please fill out the MLSC Business Interest Form.

Sample Application

Impact on the Ecosystem

Critical objectives for this program are attracting out-of-state, international, and newly formed companies in key growth areas, including novel modalities, contract research, development, and manufacturing capabilities, job creation, and scientific advancement that will benefit patients and further growth of the Massachusetts life sciences ecosystem.

Connect with us to Learn More

For more information regarding the program or application process, e-mail: masstag@masslifesciences.com

Massachusetts Next Generation Initiative

Massachusetts Next Generation Initiative

Program Overview

The MLSC is committed to a life sciences ecosystem that is diverse, inclusive, and equitable for all members of this industry. To ensure we continue to shift the paradigm, the Massachusetts Next Generation (MassNextGen) Initiative is building off the success of its first five years with a new iteration to support a larger pool of entrepreneurs with a broad, more inclusive focus.

Awardees of the program will receive a year-long customized package of support, which includes non-dilutive grant funding and access to a network of seasoned professionals from the life sciences ecosystem helping them to refine their business strategies and effectively raise capital. In addition, awardees will highlight their company to sponsors, awardees, and representatives of venture capital firms at the end of the program year in a “pitch” event.

The application period will run from March 18 – June 14, 2024 at 4 p.m. EST.

Eligibility & Evaluation

  • The applicant Life Science company (“Company”) must be located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, registered to do business in Massachusetts, and have the majority of employees in the Commonwealth. A Certificate of Good Standing from the Massachusetts Secretary of State and Certificate of Good Standing from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue are required for the submission.
  • The Company must be led by an underrepresented entrepreneur (“Applicant”) that identifies as: Arab American, Middle Eastern and North African American; Asian American, Pacific Islander, or Native Hawaiian; Black, African American, or Afro Caribbean; Female; Hispanic, Hispanic American, or Latinx/Latin; Indigenous, Native American, or First Nation; LGBTQIA+; Living with apparent or non-apparent disability; Neurodiverse; Refugee, Immigrant, or Migrant; Socially disadvantaged; Veteran or another underrepresented group in the CEO or equivalent position (e.g., President).
  • The Applicant must be open to executive coaching, including receiving critique and feedback, and must commit to attending executive and business coaching sessions in MA throughout the year-long program.

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

Sponsors

Increasing the number of successful entrepreneurs is in the best interest of the entire life science industry, and as such, this initiative is a public-private partnership between the MLSC and our corporate sponsors.

In 2018, Takeda became MassNextGen’s Anchor sponsor as the first private partner to invest in the program. Their leadership and unwavering support to foster a more inclusive and diverse ecosystem continues with their commitment for this next chapter of MassNextGen.

Learn more about the MassNextGen sponsors and how your company can join the movement.

Resources

Info Sessions

  • April 3, 2024 at 11 a.m., at M2D2 – Register
  • April 24, 2024 at 10 a.m., virtual – Register
  • May 7, 2024 at 11 a.m., at Mansfield Bio-Incubator – Register
  • May 30, 2024 at 11 a.m., virtual – Register

Sample Application

Eligibility Requirements and Evaluation Process

Deliverables, Confidentiality, and General Conditions

Business and Executive Coaching Session Format and Topics

Program Handout

R.E.D.: Research Equipment Database

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

Awardees and Coaches

Awardees
Learn more about the MassNextGen awardees and their company

Executive Coaches
Learn about the life science experts guiding the MassNextGen entrepreneurs

Impact on the Ecosystem

In 2018, MassNextGen launched with one goal in mind, to shift the paradigm to build a diverse ecosystem with equal representation. With the support from sponsors like Takeda, King Street Properties, Sanofi, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Mintz, Mission BioCapital, and LabCentral Ignite, MassNextGen launched as a five year commitment to ensure greater gender parity in the next generation of life science entrepreneurs.

In the first six years, the MLSC deployed more than $2.5 million in funding to women entrepreneurs and provided over 200 hours of coaching from the elite executive mentoring/coaching network.

Now with 31 companies in the MassNextGen portfolio, the MLSC funding combined with executive coaching and business mentorship have proven invaluable for these underrepresented entrepreneurs in building their teams and progressing forward with new opportunities. The program continues to see tremendous success from previous awardees, including:

  • 15 companies have raised a seed or series A financing round
  • Companies have raised nearly $170 million in follow-on funding
  • Companies employ in total 75 additional people
  • There’s been nearly 90 coaching sessions
  • Sponsoring organizations have reviewed applications from over 120 early-stage women led companies with an opportunity for follow on discussion

Connect with us to Learn More

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

Internship Challenge

Internship Challenge

Program Overview

Investing in the next generation of life science professionals is at the core of our mission. The Internship Challenge enhances the talent pipeline for the Massachusetts life sciences industry by creating hundreds of new internship opportunities each year for college students and recent graduates interested in life sciences careers. The workforce development program connects employers with prospective interns through an online platform and enables eligible companies to pay their interns for up to twelve weeks by subsidizing intern wages.

Internships can be part- or full-time and can take place throughout the 12-month Program Year, which runs from May 1 through April 30. The MLSC reimburses eligible organizations at pay rates from $17 to $20 per hour for a total reimbursement of up to $9,600 per intern.

As part of our commitment to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the life sciences workforce, the MLSC also partners with Project Onramp and the UNCF Ernest E. Just Initiative to support internship opportunities for underrepresented students.

Eligibility Requirements

Resources

Intern Applicant Account Registration

New Company Account Registration

Students and companies already registered can log in here to access the application.

FAQs for Interns

FAQs for Host Companies

Skills Handout

Program Handout

Impact on the Ecosystem

The Internship Challenge embodies our belief in the power of experiential learning to cultivate a workforce pipeline.  As the longest-running program at the MLSC, the Internship Challenge has expanded the pool of prospective employees who have practical experience, increased opportunities for mentoring, and enabled more students from across the Commonwealth to explore careers in the life sciences industry.  This initiative has reached every region of our state to the benefit of a diverse pool of talented young people. 

The program creates new internship opportunities for college students and recent graduates by enabling small companies, of 100 employees or less, to hire paid interns. Since the program’s inception in 2009, the MLSC has funded more than 5,800 internships with over 1,040 Massachusetts organizations for students from 280 different academic institutions. Nearly 40 percent of interns that completed college were offered employment directly following their internship.

Connect with us to Learn More

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

High School Apprenticeship Challenge

High School Apprenticeship Challenge

Program Overview

The High School Apprenticeship Challenge facilitates and funds paid internships for underrepresented and low-income high school students throughout Massachusetts. The program creates more than 100 new internship opportunities each year by subsidizing intern wages for small life sciences companies and research institutions to enable them to hire paid interns. The program also offers a pre-internship lab training program for some school districts that provides rigorous biotechnology/biomedical and professional skills development.

The MLSC reimburses eligible host organizations up to $4,080 per intern, based on $17 per hour for six weeks of full-time work. Internships can be part-time or full-time and must take place between May 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025.

The program seeks to create paid work-based learning opportunities for underrepresented youth, supplement life science education with rigorous out-of-school-time (OST) training, foster relationships between economically disadvantaged schools and life sciences employers, develop students’ professional workplace skills, increase awareness of life sciences careers, and build a diverse STEM workforce pipeline.

Eligibility Requirements

Resources

Intern Applicant Account Registration

New Company Account Registration

Students and organizations already registered can log in here to access the application.

Program Handout

Impact on the Ecosystem

Since the program first launched in 2016, the MLSC has supported over740 internships at more than 115 organizations. Interns have represented more than 160 Massachusetts high schools and nearly 500 students have participated in MLSC-sponsored OST lab training programs designed to better prepare them for internships. The program has been offered in Boston, Brockton, New Bedford, Worcester, and Cambridge (also serving students from Chelsea, Revere, and Everett).

Connect with us to Learn More

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

Data Science Internship Program

Data Science Internship Program

Program Overview

The Data Science Internship program focuses on increasing the availability of data science talent in the life sciences. The program creates new internship opportunities for qualified candidates, including those at the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate levels, by enabling research institutions and companies to hire paid interns for up to six months. The program connects employers with prospective interns through an online platform and reimburses eligible companies (100 or fewer employees in Massachusetts; no more than 250 globally) and research institutions for intern wages. Companies with greater than 100 FTEs in Massachusetts are also encouraged to use the portal to search for unsubsidized interns.

The program is intended to provide opportunities for intern exposure to advanced data analytics and data science applications to the life sciences. Prospective interns must demonstrate proficiency in advanced analytics skills and technologies based on their work experience and/or academic training. Internships can be part- or full-time and can take place for companies any time during the 12 month program year, which runs from May 1 through April 30. For research institutions, there is no specific program year. Data Science internship candidates submit an online application, including their resume and cover letter. There is no application deadline since internship placements are rolling. Approved employers will review applications and contact candidates directly if they are interested in hiring them for an internship.

Through this program, the MLSC also seeks to increase access to internships for those traditionally underrepresented in the data science field, particularly those identifying as women, Black, Indigenous, and/or Latinx.

Eligibility Requirements

Resources/Application

Companies and prospective interns must first create an account in our application portal in order to submit an application:
Intern Registration
Company Registration

If you already have an account, please log in here to access the application.

Research Institutions are asked to email DataScience@masslifesciences.com to register.

Program Handout

Impact on the Ecosystem

The Data Science Internship program is designed to address the rapidly increasing demand for data science talent by expanding the pool of qualified applicants by facilitating practical experience and eventual employment in life sciences careers in Massachusetts.

The program contributes to the development of a robust and diverse life sciences workforce by providing new opportunities for students pursuing data science and related majors, engaging research institutions and industry in recruiting from a global talent pool, and increasing awareness of career pathways in life sciences. Since the program launched in 2020, more than 100 companies and research institutions have hosted over 200 interns.

Connect with us to Learn More

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

Building Breakthroughs

Building Breakthroughs

Program Overview

The Building Breakthroughs Capital Call was designed to provide grants for capital projects that support biomanufacturing innovation, including improvements to upstream/downstream processing, production of cell and gene therapies, monoclonal antibodies, and small molecules, quality and safety, and storage/stability, in the Commonwealth.

Up to $10 million capital dollars was available for the previous program round, with approximately $750,000 awarded per project to support work and equipment at not-for-profit partners. Project teams comprised not-for-profit applicants collaborating with at least one for-profit Massachusetts life science company to solve some of the most pressing biomanufacturing problems.

Impact on the Ecosystem

Massachusetts recognizes that as new innovative therapeutic modalities are being developed, including cell and gene therapies, a biomanufacturing bottleneck exists keeping therapies from patients. Further, currently marketed products can benefit from biomanufacturing innovation to reduce costs and avoid drug shortages. Massachusetts,  home to hundreds of companies pioneering innovative therapies and treatments, is well poised to lead in developing these critical biomanufacturing innovations.

In May 2019, the MLSC announced $2.82 million in funding through the Building Breakthroughs capital program. The capital program funded four projects led respectively by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), UMass Lowell, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Each institution received funding to collaborate with industry stakeholders to take a cross-disciplinary approach to improve the biomanufacturing process for much-needed drugs, therapies, and other treatment pathways for patients around the world.

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.

Learn more about our 2019 Building Breakthrough awardees, including the principal investigator, industry partners, and project titles.

Connect with us to Learn More

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

Bits to Bytes

Bits to Bytes

Program Overview

The MLSC launched Bits to Bytes to provide grants for scientific projects that generate and analyze large datasets to answer pressing life science questions, and to attract and train data scientists in the Commonwealth.

As the leading life sciences ecosystem, Massachusetts recognizes that the role of data sciences in life science innovation has evolved rapidly and has the potential to catalyze that innovation at unprecedented rates. Investment in generating well-annotated datasets and training data scientists for life science research is required to sustain Massachusetts’s global leadership position in life science research and development.

The application period will run from July 31 to Nov. 17, 2023 at 5 p.m. EST.

Eligibility & Evaluation

The MLSC is investing up to $5 million capital dollars to support work and equipment at not-for-profit partners. Awards given out will be approximately $750,000 in funding to solve some of the most pressing life science questions using high throughput approaches generating large datasets.

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, hospital engaged in research, business incubator or accelerator, or other not-for-profit entity that would be eligible for capital funding from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

For this solicitation, the MLSC is particularly interested in supporting applicants whose research will lead to significant healthcare advances using data-driven approaches and who will recruit and train data scientists in the life science field. While different areas of translational research have different time horizons, successful proposals will explain a clear path, with executable milestones, that leads to new discoveries in partnership with the company.

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

Resources

Sample Application

Post-award Deliverables, Confidentiality, and General Conditions

R.E.D.: Research Equipment Database

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

Impact on the Ecosystem

The goal of Bits to Bytes is to employ data analytics and/or machine learning techniques to develop a greater understanding of various medical conditions to develop optimal treatments to improve patient health. Additionally, the MLSC and its partners are committed to a collective goal of attracting, training, and retaining data scientists to the life sciences. Exposing data scientists to careers within the life sciences can encourage the application of their much-needed skill sets to the industry and mission-driven work of the life sciences.

Over the past five years, the MLSC has awarded $22.2 million in capital funding. Approximately, $750,000 in funding per project has gone to 30 data-driven, cross-sector projects focused on imaging, cancer, neuroscience, drug discovery and clinical trial design that develop capital assets, data resources, and novel algorithms to address a myriad of health issues. Additionally, these projects train the next generation of post-doctoral data scientists. The non-profit and industry partners on these projects have contributed more than $42.1 million in funds.

Learn more about our 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 Bits to Bytes 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: BitsToBytes@Masslifesciences.com

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