News Releases
Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Life Sciences Programs Featured at BIO 2008
For Immediate Release / June 18, 2008
Contact:
Michael Dorsey, Director of Research Communications, +1-508-831-5609, mwdorsey@wpi.edu
Eileen Brangan Mell, Director of Public Relations, +1-508-831-6785, ebmell@wpi.edu
Researchers at work in the WPI Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center, the first building at Gateway Park.
WORCESTER, Mass. – Worcester Polytechnic Institute's (WPI) academic and research programs in the life sciences and bioengineering, along with the growth opportunities at Gateway Park, are featured this week at BIO 2008 in San Diego.
Running from June 17-20, BIO 2008 is the largest global gathering for the biotechnology industry. More than 20,000 people from 70 countries, representing all facets of the industry, academia, and related trade organizations, are expected to attend.
A team of faculty members and senior administrators from WPI traveled to San Diego to showcase the university’s life sciences programs and interact with academic and commercial entities who may find synergies with the growing Central Massachusetts life sciences cluster.
At BIO 2008, the WPI contingent is working closely with representatives from Massachusetts BioMedical Initiatives, Choose Worcester, and the City of Worcester as part of a new collaborative called “BioWorcester.” The group has launched a website to serve as a portal to the range of life sciences and economic development opportunities in the Worcester region.
Also at BIO 2008, Price Waterhouse Coopers released the second edition of Super Cluster, a comprehensive analysis of the biotechnology and life sciences industry in Massachusetts. The 90-page report documents, among other findings, the continued concentration of life sciences companies and research labs in Central Massachusetts. Super Cluster includes a written “Perspective” from D’Anne Hurd, WPI’s general counsel and vice president of business development at Gateway Park. “With the build-out of WPI’s Gateway Park, and with the University of Massachusetts Medical School as the flagship for the Commonwealth’s $1 billion Life Sciences Initiative, the greater Worcester region will continue to offer opportunities for companies across the continuum of the life sciences,” Hurd wrote.
About Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Founded in 1865 in Worcester, Mass., WPI was one of the nation's first engineering and technology universities. WPI's 18 academic departments offer more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, management, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts, leading to the BA, BS, MS, ME, MBA and PhD. WPI's world-class faculty work with students in a number of cutting-edge research areas, leading to breakthroughs and innovations in such fields as biotechnology, fuel cells, and information security, materials processing, and nanotechnology. Students also have the opportunity to make a difference to communities and organizations around the world through the university's innovative Global Perspective Program. There are more than 20 WPI project centers throughout North America and Central America, Africa, Australia, Asia, and Europe.
About Gateway Park
Gateway Park is a joint venture of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and the Worcester Business Development Corporation (WBDC). Located in Worcester, near the intersection of I-190 and I-290, Gateway Park is designed as a 12-acre, mixed-use destination for life sciences and biotech companies and the people who work for them. The project includes five life sciences buildings totaling 500,000 square feet of flexible, adaptable lab space designed to meet the needs of research organizations; 241,000 square feet of market rate, loft condominiums; and several planned retail establishments. WPI is also exploring the possibility of graduate student housing on one of the sites. Gateway Park is part of the larger 55-acre Gateway Redevelopment District. It is currently home to numerous businesses, offices, restaurants, and business services, as well as a Courtyard by Marriott hotel.