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State's life sciences tax-incentive plan still on track

Even as the economic downturn has forced Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to pursue nearly $1 billion in state spending cuts, officials are finalizing a series of tax credits intended to help grow more life sciences jobs. The $250 million in tax credits will be capped at $25 million annually over 10 years as part of the state’s billion-dollar incentive package for the industry. Observers say the investment is important even in tough economic times. “We can afford the tax credits because it is critical that we build this sector,” said Mike Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. “We can’t mortgage our future.”

Life sciences CEOs line up questions for Obama

Days before the inauguration of President Barack Obama, Mass High Tech asked a handful of CEOs from life sciences companies for their thoughts on what impact on their industry sectors they expect from the new administration, the economic crisis and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Bill. Their comments to three questions on the new president are here.

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iRobot Co-Founder Greiner Launches Stealth Robotics Company, The Droid Works

Massachusetts’ growing robotics cluster just got bigger. For the second time in less than six months, an iRobot co-founder has launched a robotics startup. Helen Greiner told me in an e-mail yesterday that she has formed a stealth company called The Droid Works. “Our first project is in the UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] space, and a team of people from around the country are working on this project today,” her short note said. Visit their Web site to learn more.

NASA Announces Massachusetts Aeronautics Research Award

NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate has awarded $488,954 to APTIMA Inc. of Woburn, Mass., for work described in its NASA research announcement proposal "Alarms: Alerting and Reasoning Management System."

The two-year award from the directorate's Aviation Safety Program will foster close collaboration with and facilitate the exchange of ideas and information among researchers at NASA, industry, academia and other government agencies to benefit the nation's aeronautics community. Click here to learn more.

Stem Cell Scientists Expecting More Federal Funding

The anticipated lift of restrictions on federal embryonic stem cell research funding could mean millions of dollars for local laboratories and startups — with the potential to accelerate the maturity of the science and attract more private investors.

President Barack Obama has stated that he intends to lift that funding ban, although exactly when is an open question. Already, however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month approved the request of Geron Corp., a California-based biotech, to proceed with the first human test using an embryonic stem cell-based treatment. New England stem cell advocates believe such developments could change the market completely — and even enable the creation of new technologies.

“If I were to make a prediction, I would say there’s a 95 percent certainty you’ll see more startups and see a significant investment by established pharmaceutical companies and venture capitalists,” said Gary Stein, interim director of the University of Massachusetts program in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. “It will mean tremendous development in this area for Massachusetts, being a major center for biomedical research.” To learn more, click here.

StarWind Software Announces Appointment of Zorian Rotenberg as Chief Executive Officer, Opens U.S. Headquarters

BURLINGTON, Mass., Feb 10, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- StarWind Software Inc., a global provider of storage software, today announced the appointment of Zorian Rotenberg as Chief Executive Officer and announced the opening of the U.S. headquarters. Mr. Rotenberg brings extensive experience in operations, strategic alliances, and mergers and acquisitions, and has a strong background in high-tech as well as financial markets.

The opening of StarWind Software's U.S. headquarters near Boston, Massachusetts, comes shortly after the announcement of their spin-off from Rocket Division Inc. and the investment, led by ABRT Venture Fund, meant to accelerate sales and assist in marketing efforts. Read more here.