NB Officials Respond to Gov. Malloy’s Bioscience Plan
By Robin Vinci at May 17, 2024 | 4:32 pm | Print
On Monday Gov. Dannel Malloy announced an $864 million Bioscience Connecticut research and education plan.
Malloy says his Bioscience Connecticut proposal would create about 16,400 permanent jobs by 2037.
About $340 million for the proposal is already available in state bond money approved last year. Malloy is asking Connecticut lawmakers to approve another $254 million in long-term borrowing this spring to start the project.
Major renovations including construction of a new patient tower and ambulatory care center that would create 3,000 local construction jobs and bring 148 new students to the University of Health Center in Farmington.
State Senator Terry Gerratana (D-New Britain), the co-chair of the General Assembly’s Public Health Committee who represents the portion of Farmington, was on hand this morning for Governor’s proposal.
“UConn’s already Number One in sports,” said Senator Gerratana, “but we should also be Number One in solutions in health care. The UConn Health Center is our only public health research center in the state, and its focus on translational research—finding new cures and treatments that can be put quickly into meaningful medical practice—is an essential component in creating a bioscience corridor.”
Sen. Gerratana continued, “This is an important investment and commitment coming at a critical time. It’s also an exciting opportunity for Connecticut, for the Farmington area and for the bioscience industry. I thank Governor Malloy for his leadership in announcing this initiative today.”
“The new bioscience enterprise zone in New Britain that I and the other New Britain legislators voted to approve creates the opportunity for new good-paying jobs in New Britain because of Gov. Malloy’s bioscience jobs investment,” said Rep. Tim O’Brien (New Britain). “For example, this increases the economic development potential of the former Pinnacle Heights site, to create jobs and hold homeowners’ property taxes down. Gov. Malloy is again proactively creating new jobs and economic growth in our city and region.”
Mayor Timothy Stewart agreed, saying it is, great news for the region.
“Hopefully this will provide much needed jobs for many New Britain residents, but it also has the potential to have a positive impact on our Pinnacle Heights planning and development,” said Stewart. “It was recently made a part of the states bioscience corridor and will most certainly help us to attract tenants to the site.”
The plans for the Bioscience Connecticut Program include:
- Add 100 students to the medical school and 48 students to the dental school
- Create 3,000 construction jobs in Farmington from 2012 to 2018 and create 16,400 high-quality permanent jobs by 2037
- Generate $4.6 billion in personal income and graduate and retain more physicians and dentists to meet forecasted workforce shortages and increased demand for health care services
- Include $318 million for the new patient tower, which would be used for patient treatment, and a parking garage
- Include $163 million for renovating the existing tower, which would be used for research, and another $155 million to renovate existing research facilities on campus
- Construct a new, $203 million ambulatory care center
- Double federal and industry research grants to drive discovery, innovation and commercialization; and strengthen, create, retain and attract firms to forge a powerful bioscience industry
- Strengthen and stabilize the UConn Health Center’s finances
