LYNN – Mayor Jared Nicholson and the City, in partnership with BioConnects New England, will host the inaugural Community Leadership Summit on Wednesday at the Lynn Museum.
The summit will focus on the City’s biotech readiness and pathways to a career in biotech and biomanufacturing. Attendees will participate in strategies and discussions around engaging with and informing the community about these opportunities.
The summit will be led by Nicholson and Jared Auclair, Ph.D., Northeastern University Vice Provost of Research and Economic Development, Director of Bioinnovation, and co-lead of BioConnects New England. EDIC/Lynn Executive Director James Cowdell and Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute Executive Director Christine Bolzan will also present.
“This event is a significant step forward in our goal of expanding our workforce and supporting our residents in growing industries, which aligns with our Workforce Development Plan,” Nicholson said. “We’re excited to showcase the ongoing collaboration to advance this vision and have our residents learn about the opportunities that come with the life sciences.”
Panelists will include Raul Gonzalez, MAPC; Sarah MacDonald, Life Science Cares; Zach Stanley, MassBio; and Kenn Turner, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. The summit in Lynn will be the first of a series of community leadership events hosted by BioConnects across the region.
“We look forward to the opportunity to continue to promote Lynn as a community that is ready, willing and able to meet the space, infrastructure and workforce needs of biotech companies in the region,” Cowdell said.
Last July, the City earned Platinum status from the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council under its BioReady® rating system, which evaluates municipalities based on zoning practices and infrastructure capacity that ease the pathway for renovation or new construction of biotech laboratory and manufacturing facilities. Lynn is one of only 37 cities and towns statewide to earn Platinum status from the MBC.
That designation was awarded a few months after the City Council adopted an ordinance designed to make it more attractive for biotech companies to operate in Lynn. The ordinance created the Lynn Biosafety Committee (LBC), which is responsible for overseeing and creating policies related to the use of recombinant DNA (rDNA), approving and reviewing permits, overseeing and reviewing worker training and manuals and developing procedures related to violations of the ordinance.
In September, the City hosted the Life Sciences Developer Tour, at which 70 representatives of biotech firms were shown a half-dozen sites available for development.
BioConnects New England is a multi-state coalition and finalist of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge — a $1 billion program through which BioConnects New England will create a biomanufacturing cluster in the region of Massachusetts, Maine, and Rhode Island. This coalition will connect hubs throughout New England to support existing and new biomanufacturing infrastructure as a pathway to increase employment and educational opportunities for underserved regions and populations.
