The following op/ed co-authored by MassBio President and COO Kendalle Burlin O’Connell and Town of Lexington Economic Development Director Sandhya Iyer appeared in CommonWealth Magazine on August 14, 2022.
Getting on board with life sciences development
BioReady Lexington attracted 16 companies over two years
By Kendalle Burlin O’Connell and Sandhya IyerIN THE LAST few months, we’ve seen a new biomanufacturing facility open at the New Bedford Office Park; one of the largest life sciences campuses in the state take shape in Woburn; a biotech company move closer to construction just miles from the Boston Marathon Start Line in Hopkinton, and Worcester continue to grow its significant life sciences cluster. Malden, Beverly, and Billerica as biotech mini-clusters? It’s happening, and it hasn’t happened by accident.
Regionalization is an essential step toward not only maintaining the state’s dominance in biotech research and development, but also to staking its claim to biomanufacturing, all while diversifying the workforce.
Lexington is one town that has embraced the life sciences industry and is already reaping the benefits. From 2020 to 2022 alone, 16 life sciences companies moved to Lexington, increasing the town’s total to 48.
Lexington made the intentional decision early on to welcome biopharma companies and took the necessary steps to pass regulations and zoning to attract the industry. To answer resident questions regarding sustainability and safety, Lexington continues to host public forums to engage in conversations and provide education on the benefits of life sciences growth. The town has dedicated years to planning and communication and is seeing it all pay off.
Continue reading at CommonWealth Magazine.