A Year On, Mass. Life Sciences Act Fuels Research

STEVE LeBLANC

BOSTON (AP) — It was one of Gov. Deval Patrick's signature pieces of legislation, a $1 billion, 10-year initiative designed to make Massachusetts a magnet for an industry that holds the potential for breathtaking — and lucrative — medical breakthroughs.

But a year after Patrick signed the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative not everyone is cheering.

With the state raising taxes and slashing services, some are wondering if Massachusetts can still afford such a big-ticket endeavor.

At the same time, unions are faulting what they call a giveaway to an industry that hasn't done enough to ensure construction jobs funded in part with tax dollars also come with good wages and benefits.

But backers of the initiative are claiming successes large and small, from helping Cambridge-based Genzyme Corp. build a new biomanufacturing facility in Framingham to seeding the next generation of researchers by offering internships to college students.

"This is a real economic engine for the state at a time when the state is struggling," said Susan Windham-Bannister, CEO and president of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the quasi-public agency overseeing the initiative.