Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute’s Gloucester Biotechnology Academy recently received a nearly $500,000 state grant to be put toward the academy’s expansion into Boston.
The $499,609 grant comes from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Education and Workforce Development grant program that recently awarded 68 grants statewide totaling $12.3 million.
Grant recipients ranged from public school systems to colleges and universities as well as nonprofits, such as the academy, which are focused on one of four tracks; elementary and secondary education, out-of-school time, post-secondary education and training, and “gamechanger” matching grants.
The academy received a post-secondary education and training grant to be put toward buying “capital equipment” or equipment over $5,000 for the expansion into Boston.
The grant, which will come over two years, will allow the academy to buy industry-standard equipment used in professional labs, Academy Senior Director John Doyle said.
“If you walked into downtown Boston or Cambridge and walked into (professional) labs you would see the same equipment,” he said. “It’s an invaluable experience for these kids to be working on the same type of stuff they’re going to see when they get into the industry.”
Doyle said he was approached by a developer in 2019 to open a second biotechnology academy in Boston’s Seaport District and seven years later, work is underway to make the expansion a reality.
Part of the work to complete the expansion includes the grant, but he said other work going on includes grant writing and fundraising. Work with the developer and the city of Boston on construction and permitting of the building set to house the new academy is also happening.
“Those are the major things, it’s construction, funding and permitting, and making sure all of those pieces are in place before we arrive,” Doyle said.
Academy leaders are eyeing an opening during the first few months of 2027, but there is no set date as of yet because the building is still under construction, he said.
“We’ve been down there a couple of times now to tour the facility,” Doyle said.
The Boston location will follow the same model as the decade-old Gloucester academy where students will be in the classroom for two semesters studying molecular biology, cell culture and bio-manufacturing before entering into a paid three-month co-op program with a professional lab.
Staff Writer Bobby Grady may be contacted at 978-675-2714 or bgrady@gloucestertimes.com.