Middlesex Awarded $3 Million Grant to Build New Biotech Facility

Middlesex Community College has been awarded a $3 million capital grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) for the purpose of building a new biotechnology facility to replace the college’s current, outdated facility.

Middlesex President Carole Cowan said the MLSC grant will allow the college to invest in one of its burgeoning industries, and to upgrade and supplement facilities that support the critical lab functions of the program. Specifically, the grant will allow for an investment of a “clean room” and combined lecture and laboratory space in its science properties.

“Working with Gov. Patrick and our legislative delegation, Middlesex has tried to respond to the evolving needs of our workforce partners, particularly in the STEM industries,” Cowan said. “Specifically, biotech in Massachusetts is one of the economic engines, and we welcome opportunities to align our college graduate preparedness with the industry clusters of our region.”

Middlesex has previously been awarded the gold-level designation by the Massachusetts Life Science Education Consortium, and Cowan said this investment in infrastructure will only serve to bolster the college’s offerings.

Comprehensive planning for the new facility was completed with the assistance of a planning grant from the MLSC and MCC funding. The multi-phase planning process included conforming the current and emerging workforce skills required by the life-sciences industry through a workforce needs and curriculum analysis, and identifying the most feasible facility option for enhancing the education and training of MCC Biotechnology students through an architectural study.

The proposed facility, to be located on the fifth floor of the Talbot Science Building on the Lowell campus, will include a combined lecture room and laboratory, a Class 10,000 clean room, gowning area, and prep room. The addition of a clean room, which is not part of MCC’s current facilities, along with the  other proposed equipment and facilities upgrades, will significantly expand the capacity of MCC to prepare its students in the best possible way to meet the workforce needs of the life-sciences industry.

Through the MLSC, Massachusetts is investing $1 billion over 10 years in the growth of the state’s life sciences ecosystem. These investments are being made under the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative, proposed by Gov. Deval Patrick in 2007, and passed by the State Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Patrick in 2008.

For more information about MCC’s MLSC grant, contact Patrick Cook, Executive Director of Public Affairs: cookp@middlesex.mass.edu.

MCC is one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts. We offer more than 75 degree and certificate programs, plus hundreds of noncredit courses, during the day, evening and weekend, on our Bedford and Lowell campuses, and online. Middlesex – a great place to begin your future!