Boosting biotech; Collaboration has been a powerful growth tool.

COLUMN: IN OUR OPINION

One message that emerged loud and clear from the biotechnology roundtable in Worcester yesterday is that Central Massachusetts owes much of its success in the field to a virtually unique culture of cooperation among biotech firms, researchers, academia and government - what Gov. Deval L. Patrick called its "robust spirit of collaboration."

Indeed, that spirit was reflected in the makeup of the panel itself, which along with Mr. Patrick and Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray included representatives of biotech firms, city government and area colleges and members of the legislative delegation.

Appropriately, the roundtable was held at the Massachusetts Biotechnology Park, the realization of the combined vision of business, political, academic and civic leaders in the 1980s. It was organized by Massachusetts Biotechnology Initiatives, a biotech incubator at Gateway Park, another outstanding example of public-private collaboration.

As Mr. Patrick puts the finishing touches on his Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative, the insights offered by panelists are worth noting.

Elizabeth A. Higgins of Glycosolutions Corp. placed high priority on work-force development, both to close gaps in the training of people entering the work force and to instruct employees on regulatory matters. Tod Woolf of RXi Pharmaceuticals, agreed, singling out "lab technicians ready to work at the bench" as his most pressing need.

Area colleges are beginning to respond, offering a variety of degree and non-degree programs and workshops on regulations. WPI president Dennis Berkey added that retraining the workers to meet changing workplace needs is another critical goal.

Tufts' veterinary school also is a key player, and not just in animal research. M. Sawkat Anwer of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine said it is a valuable public health resource, in part because 75 percent of infectious diseases are "zoogenic," originating in animals before spreading to humans.

Central Massachusetts tends to be overlooked by Boston investors, Jan-Eric Ahlfors of Novagenesis OY noted, but the area is well-positioned to compete nonetheless because of its growing strength in three key areas: pharmaceuticals, medical devices and now regenerative medicine, including stem-cell research.

Biotech already has created tens of thousands of jobs in Massachusetts, and Mr. Patrick envisions that number will grow to a quarter-million jobs in the next decade. To that end, support for the kinds of public-private collaboration that have succeeded in the Worcester area should be among the key goals of the legislation the Patrick-Murray administration plans to file next month.