Massachusetts Tax Incentives for Moderna, Vertex and More Creating 1,155 Jobs

Tax incentive awards totaling $21.4 million are expected to create 1,155 new life sciences jobs in Massachusetts at companies including Moderna and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, who’ll each receive over $5 million to add at least 300 positions.

Nineteen businesses working on drug discovery and development, medical devices, diagnostics and manufacturing are receiving the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) tax incentive program awards, according to a Healey-Driscoll Administration and MLSC announcement. Seventeen awardees will expand in communities outside of Boston and Cambridge, creating 72% of the expected total jobs.

Companies must fill the new positions by Dec. 31, 2024, and retain them for four years, an MLSC spokesperson told BioSpace via email. For a five-year period starting this year, each business must document and report jobs created as a result of its tax incentive award. Those that don’t fulfill their hiring commitments must return their tax incentives to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue on a pro rata basis, according to the MLSC spokesperson. For example, if a company is compliant for three of the five years, it would return 40% of its award.

Moderna received the largest tax incentive award: $6,037,500 to create 345 jobs, with most, if not all, of those located in Norwood, where the pharma has a 200,000-square-foot mRNA clinical manufacturing facility.

In an emailed statement, a company spokesperson told BioSpace, “Moderna is proud to be a Massachusetts-based company, where our commitment to innovation and growth in the life sciences has been recognized by the state. Massachusetts, as a global leader in science and technology, offers a dynamic ecosystem driven by strong collaborations between industry and government. These partnerships are vital in advancing groundbreaking scientific discoveries that enhance patient care worldwide.”

The Moderna spokesperson did not provide details on the jobs the Cambridge-based pharma will create.

Vertex received the second-largest tax incentive award: $5,250,000 to add 300 positions in Boston. A company spokesperson told BioSpace via email that the biotech is hiring for roles at its Jeffrey Leiden Center for Biologics, Cell & Genetic Therapies, which has about 500 employees. That campus will soon expand to include a second facility, the spokesperson noted, with construction expected to be complete by late 2026. The new building will be 319,000 square feet, featuring 100,000 square feet of research space and over 600 workspaces for employees.

Vertex’s new tax incentive award–funded jobs will include manufacturing and research positions, according to the biotech’s spokesperson.

“At Vertex, we aim to develop innovative, transformative solutions for serious genetic diseases,” the spokesperson said. “The work being done by our cell and gene therapy research and manufacturing teams furthers our efforts to tackle these diseases from all possible angles and address challenges that have eluded traditional treatment modalities. Ultimately, we hope that our growing team can help transform the lives of people living with diseases currently viewed as incurable.”

This year’s MLSC tax incentive program awardees are listed below. The number of jobs each company will create and the location for most, if not all, of those positions are in parentheses.

1. Moderna: $6,037,500 (345 jobs, Norwood)
2. Vertex Pharmaceuticals: $5,250,000 (300 jobs, Boston)
3. Insulet Corporation: $1,925,000 (110 jobs, Acton)
4. Dicerna Pharmaceuticals/Novo Nordisk: $1,312,500 (75 jobs, Lexington)
5. Vericel Corporation: $975,000 (39 jobs, Burlington)
6. Pace Analytical Services: $892,500 (51 jobs, Woburn)
7. Charles River Laboratories: $875,000 (50 jobs, Wilmington)
8. Instrumentation Laboratory: $525,000 (30 jobs, Bedford)
9. Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing: $500,000 (20 jobs, Lee)
10. EyePoint Pharmaceuticals: $500,000 (20 jobs, Northbridge)
11. Eli Lilly: $437,000 (23 jobs, Boston)
12. Viridian Therapeutics: $375,000 (15 jobs, Waltham)
13. Imprivata: $297,500 (17 jobs, Waltham)
14. Agilent Technologies: $250,000 (10 jobs, Chicopee)
15. Disc Medicine: $250,000 (10 jobs, Watertown)
16. Sirtex Medical US Holdings: $250,000 (10 jobs, Woburn)
17. Spear Bio: $250,000 (10 jobs, Woburn)
18. Synterex: $250,000 (10 jobs, Dedham)
19. TScan Therapeutics: $250,000 (10 jobs, Waltham)

In the Healey-Driscoll Administration and MLSC announcement, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey commented on the tax incentives’ importance.

“We must continue to meet the moment and send a strong signal to companies here in Massachusetts and globally that our state remains the best place in the world to launch and scale life sciences solutions,” Healey said. “Becoming the global hub of the life sciences doesn’t happen by accident. These awards will allow our state to accelerate innovation and job creation and transform lives around the world.”

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