Governor Josh Shapiro Awards $140 Million for Pennsylvania Life Sciences Wet-Lab Incubators

PHILADELPHIA — Governor Josh Shapiro announced on Monday the distribution of $140 million in state economic development grants through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to construct and equip specialized life sciences wet-lab incubator facilities and cell and gene therapy manufacturing cleanrooms in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

The capital investments support the expansion of the University City Science Center and Navy Yard life sciences campus in Philadelphia, alongside the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Green at the Hazelwood Green brownfield redevelopment, creating 200,000 square feet of turn-key laboratory space for early-stage biotechnology startups.

Commercializing Breakthrough Gene Therapies and Medical Innovations Pennsylvania ranks fourth nationally in NIH medical research funding through the University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Pittsburgh. However, promising spin-off biotech companies historically relocated to Boston or the Bay Area due to shortages of affordable turn-key wet-lab real estate.

"Pennsylvania's world-class universities and medical researchers are discovering the cures for cancer and rare genetic diseases, and we must ensure those breakthrough therapies are commercialized and manufactured right here in our Commonwealth," Governor Shapiro said at the University City Science Center in Philadelphia. "This $140 million investment provides the high-tech wet-lab space that early-stage biotech startups need to grow, hire locally, and create thousands of good-paying life sciences careers in Pennsylvania."

Facility Features and Technology Incubators The $140 million package funds:

• University City Science Center Expansion (Philadelphia): $65 million for shared cryogenic bio-banking, flow cytometry labs, and certified BSL-2 wet-lab suites.
• Hazelwood Green Bio-Manufacturing Hub (Pittsburgh): $50 million for automated bioreactor testing suites and robotic cell-processing cleanrooms.
• Seed Stage Life Sciences Commercialization Fund: $25 million in matching non-dilutive grant capital for university spinoffs licensing university-developed therapies.

Life sciences industry leaders, venture capital federations, and university presidents commended the governor's targeted investment, highlighting that affordable wet-lab space anchors high-wage medical research jobs in Pennsylvania.