BioReady Community

The City of Marlborough has a Gold rating as a BioReady™ Community. The BioReady™ Community Campaign developed by MassBio with the support of MassEcon and regional organizations throughout the Commonwealth rates and promotes the communities that have shown a commitment to biotechnology.

These ratings are intended to help biotechnology companies find the most favorable destinations in the state and to enable the state and its cities and towns to effectively tell their story to the biotechnology industry. BioReadyTM-rated cities and towns have made a commitment to biotechnology.

Massachusetts is an unsurpassed leader in the global biotechnology industry. Because of the state’s rich history in biotechnology, many of its cities and towns, with the support of state government, have increasingly adopted local policies that greatly ease the pathway for renovation or new construction of biotech laboratory and manufacturing facilities.

Examples of the increasingly supportive public policies in Massachusetts municipalities include

  • expedited permitting policies
  • by-right zoning
  • supportive public infrastructure projects
  • pre-permitted biotech sites an
  • planned area developments

MassBio and partner organizations began the BioReadyTM Communities Campaign in early 2008. MassBio conducted seven regional BioReadyTM Community Seminars throughout the state (in Andover, Billerica, Chicopee, Worcester, Hopkinton, Waltham, and Fall River) for the purpose of providing background to municipal officials about the biotech industry and guidance on how to position a municipality as a destination for biotech laboratory and manufacturing facilities.

The topics presented in the seminars included a background on the biotech industry, its economic impact, facility requirements of biotech laboratory and manufacturing space, bio-safety, and municipal approvals practices that are conducive to supporting biotech opportunities.

For the Gold ranking, a municipality must have already met Silver criteria, which means it:

  • Allows biotech laboratory and manufacturing uses by right
  • Has identified buildings and/or land sites for biotechnology uses in municipal plans
  • Convenes site plan review meetings, bringing together all pertinent departments, to provide an overview of the local approvals process for significant commercial and industrial projects
  • Has land sites and/or buildings included in BioSites inventory at www.massachusettssitefinder.com

At the Gold level, municipalities must have one of the following:

  • Sites or buildings pre-permitted for biotechnology laboratory or manufacturing use
  • Existing buildings in which biotech laboratory or manufacturing activities are taking place

For a current list of 60+ BioReady™ rated communities in Massachusetts or for more information about the BioReady™ ratings, visit: www.massbio.org.