CAMBRIDGE, UK -- Tuesday, March 15, 2011 – As part of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy Partnership Mission 2011, Governor Deval Patrick today visited Granta Science Park in Cambridge, UK to discuss plans to cultivate new investment and partnerships between the Massachusetts and UK life sciences sectors. During his visit, Governor Patrick hosted a Massachusetts-UK Innovation Economy Roundtable on the life sciences and met with researchers and industry leaders at the Park, where many UK-based life sciences companies are located.
“We have made significant, long-term investments to support the Life Sciences sector in Massachusetts, and we are laying the groundwork for businesses from across the world to join us,” said Governor Patrick. “We believe the Life Sciences sector is poised for dramatic growth, and we invite businesses from the UK seeking to expand to come to the Bay State.”
Governor Patrick was joined by his life sciences delegation, a coalition of leaders from the UK and Massachusetts committed to expanding job-growth opportunities in the innovation industries, including the life sciences. During the trip, the delegation will also travel to London for official visits and meetings with companies and business leaders. “Massachusetts and the UK are historic trading partners, and both are international leaders in the life sciences. Today’s discussion focused on ways we can bolster our common strengths,” said Greg Bialecki, Secretary of Housing & Economic Development. “International collaboration in investment, research, product development and trade will be key as we create jobs and propel the Commonwealth’s innovation economy forward.”
“Massachusetts is a global leader in the life sciences, but if we want to maintain that status we need to engage globally with other leaders in these sectors,” said delegation member Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister, President & CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. “The UK is our state’s number one trading partner, and a great deal of innovation is taking place here in fields such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Over the past two years several UK-based life sciences companies have chosen Massachusetts as the place to expand or to locate their U.S.
headquarters, and that is a trend that we want to see continue. I look forward to building relationships on this trip that will pay off for the Commonwealth in the areas of shared research, industrial partnerships, collaborative investment and, ultimately, job growth and scientific discovery.”
“Shire began as a small company, based in the UK. As the Company expanded, it chose Massachusetts as the headquarters of its Human Genetic Therapies (HGT) business unit because it is one of the world’s foremost centers for the biomedical and biopharmaceutical industry,” said Sylvie Grégoire, President of Shire HGT. “As a global company, it is imperative to have a wide geographic footprint. Our partnerships with key stakeholders around the globe allow our company to continue to develop and produce therapies for those suffering from orphan diseases worldwide. The UK is a key market for us, and I encourage other businesses to explore how to leverage these important relationships.”
The visit builds on existing collaborations between Massachusetts and the UK in the life sciences, including a number of events co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the British Consulate in Boston and the Cambridge, Massachusetts office of UK Trade & Investment.
Massachusetts has become a world leader in the life sciences and the industries of tomorrow by investing in education, infrastructure, and making targeted investments to support innovation industries. Over 80,000 Massachusetts employees work in the life sciences, and medical devices are Massachusetts’ number one export. The Patrick-Murray Administration’s Life Sciences Initiative, a $1 billion, ten-year commitment to strengthen the Bay State’s position as an international hub for bio-tech and the life sciences, is a critical piece of this strategy.
Today there are 253 Massachusetts-based companies that have operations in the UK. The UK is the largest export market for Massachusetts products, including more than $230 million last year in pharmaceuticals and medical devices. UK-based life sciences companies that have expanded or located an office in Massachusetts over the past two years include Shire, Systegenix, Sagentia and Evaluate Pharma.
The Massachusetts Innovation Economy Partnership Mission 2011 is focusing on business expansion, job growth and collaboration during industry forums, company visits and meetings with Israeli and UK business leaders and government officials in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, London and Cambridge. The Massachusetts delegation arrived in Israel on March 7th, and will depart the United Kingdom on March 17th to return to Boston.
For updates, please visit www.mass.gov/governor/innovationmission
