Collaborative Research among Leading Universities to Benefit Life Sciences in Massachusetts

August 18, 2005

The new MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation (CBI) is located in Cambridge at a critical intersection of industry, academia, and government. MIT and Harvard, as well as leaders from government and industry, are working together to transform the healthcare industry in ways that will improve our quality of life while making a sustained contribution to the Massachusetts innovation economy.

The Center for Biomedical Innovation will tackle challenges associated with safely and cost-effectively moving biomedical innovations out of the laboratory and into the hands of patients who can benefit from new treatments, drug therapies and medical devices.

Recognizing the tremendous potential for impact on the state’s life science super cluster, the John Adams Innovation Institute is preparing to award a development grant to the Center to help establish key initiatives while also leveraging access to the research pursued within this partnership for Massachusetts businesses.

A critical ingredient for economic success in the state’s knowledge-based economy is collaborative, interdisciplinary university research centers. These centers represent the primary engine powering the Massachusetts innovation economy. Through this partnership with MIT, the Innovation Institute hopes to identify synergies in the CBI research agenda that will reflect the interests of Massachusetts biotechnology and medical device companies and encourage their participation in the Center.

By creating a “safe harbor” for open discussion, and partnerships among industry, academia, government, hospitals, reimbursement sources, and other components of the healthcare delivery system, the Center will address key regulatory and cost barriers. Research conducted at the Center will impact the life sciences super cluster of pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies in Massachusetts.

The John Adams Innovation Institute, the economic development arm of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, is working with leaders across the state to shape the framework for cross-industry and cross-sector collaboration to increase the long-term competitiveness of the life sciences super cluster.