April 1, 2016 (Cambridge, MA)—The City of Malden has improved its BioReady® rating to Platinum, and the Towns of Needham, Ashland, Clinton, and Saugus have joined the list of Massachusetts communities that are BioReady®, signifying a commitment and readiness to work with biotechnology companies interested in locating in these communities, MassBio announced today.
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.
MassBio rated the Town of Needham as a Gold Bioready® Community, and recognized the Towns of Ashland, Clinton and Saugus as Bronze BioReady® Communities. Meanwhile, the City of Malden adopted the NIH guidelines on rDNA activity as part of its regulations and identified a building already permitted for biotech uses with at least 20,000 square feet of available space, earning them an upgrade in their ranking from Gold to Platinum, MassBio’s highest rating.
The new and upgraded BioReady® ratings were announced today at the MassBio Annual Meeting. Representatives from the communities accepted award certificates during a ceremony at the event, held at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, MA.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ashland, Clinton, Needham and Saugus to the growing BioReady® community and we are proud to see that Malden is now rated among our Platinum cities and towns,” said Robert K. Coughlin, President & CEO of MassBio. “Each of these communities has proven its commitment to facilitating innovation and supporting industry growth in Massachusetts.”
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. To date, there are 81 BioReady® rated communities in the state.
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 BioReadiness® 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.