Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is proposing a new $400 million investment in research for the state. (Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has unveiled a new plan that would create a $400 million fund to support university and healthcare research in the state.
Healey’s initiative — called DRIVE (Discovery, Research and Innovation for a Vibrant Economy (DRIVE) — is intended to sustain Massachusetts’s research and innovation economy at a time when the Trump administration has cancelled or frozen billions of dollars in grant funding at universities and research institutions across the country.
Citing what she called “the face of uncertainty from the federal government,” Healey pitched the the project as one that would protect “one of the things that makes Massachusetts so special – our global leadership in health care and helping families across the world.”
Healey’s announcement referenced a recent report by the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute’s Economic & Public Policy Research Group, which documented the major impact that federal research and development funding has in Massachusetts, a state where the knowledge economy plays a dominant role.
For example, the report found that, despite only having 2.4% of jobs nationally, Massachusetts is home to 11.3% of all research and development jobs, 4.6 times more than the national average. In addition, the $8.57 billion in federal research funding Massachusetts received in Fiscal Year 2024 supported 81,300 jobs, $7.8 billion of income, and generated more than $16 billion in economic activity across a wide range of sectors.
According to the report, more than 700 different Massachusetts organizations have received federal R&D awards in recent years, with the top three funders being the National Institutes of Health, the Air Force and the National Science Foundation.
“Massachusetts is the global leader in innovative research and the discovery of lifesaving cures,” said Healey, in her office’s news release. “Research funding is also foundational to the Massachusetts economy – it’s economic infrastructure here. This bill is about creating jobs across industries from construction and food services to health care and education.”
How the $400 million fund would work
Healey’s proposal, which will still need the support of the Massachusetts legislature, would split the $400 million into two funding categories. Half of it, paid for from the state’s stabilization fund, would create a one-time, multi-year research funding pool that will support research at universities, hospitals and other research institutions. It would also establish a one-year fellowship program for early career professionals.
The other $200 million would be used for a public higher education bridge funding reserve, funded by revenue from the Fair Share surtax that was passed by voters in 2022.
It would offer Massachusetts public higher education institutions financial support for direct and indirect research costs, cross-regional partnerships and joint ventures. The reserve would also provide funding to retain and hire new research and teaching positions, including for graduate students, post-docs, and other early-career professionals.
Other components in the proposal
Under the plan, Healey would also create a new 501(c)(3) entity, called the Research Catalyst Fund. It would be able to accept and distribute philanthropic contributions and matching funds from industry. Donors could direct their funds toward particular institutions or projects, or they could contribute to a shared pool, complementing the public investments.
That fund would be governed by a newly created Research Opportunity Review Board, which would be authorized to identify projects that both benefit the public and advance the innovation economy.
Healey will also sign an executive order establishing an “Advisory Commission on Advancing Research and Discovery in Massachusetts.” It will convene leaders from the medical community, higher education, and economic development to recommend other measures that could strengthen the the state’s research and innovation ecosystem and advance scientific discovery and job creation.
Governor Healey’s proposal received enthusiastic endorsements from higher education leaders across the state, several of whom were quoted in the official announcement.
Marty Meehan, President of the University of Massachusetts, said, “by standing up for research, innovation, and jobs, this initiative will protect Massachusetts’ world-renowned research and innovation economy and ensure we continue to attract and retain the best and brightest talent.”
Joseph E. Aoun, President ofNortheastern University, commended “Governor Healey and her team for their commitment to ensuring Massachusetts remains a global leader in cutting-edge research. By working together, we can continue to advance the frontiers of discovery and develop solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.”
MIT President Sally Kornbluth described the DRIVE program as “a welcome endorsement of the Commonwealth’s ‘eds-and meds’ ecosystem, which benefits all of us in Massachusetts.” She added, “though no other source can replace federal funding for sheer scale, I applaud the Governor’s announcement of a new advisory commission to find ways to sustain the Commonwealth’s leadership in research, education and innovation for decades to come.”
