Massachusetts is putting nearly $40 million behind 38 life sciences companies in a bid to grow the industry's footprint statewide, with state leaders projecting the awards will create more than 1,600 new jobs. The money flows through the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center's Tax Incentive Program, which targets firms expanding research, development, commercialization and manufacturing operations across the Commonwealth.
Governor Maura Healey said the state “leads the world in life sciences because it invests in people and companies creating future jobs, treatments and technologies,” framing the awards as part of a broader push to keep Massachusetts competitive. According to the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the program awarded tax incentives to the 38 companies specifically to help them expand and create jobs across the state. Healey added that Massachusetts “will keep competing for jobs, supporting innovation and remaining a leading place to start and grow a life sciences company.”
Who's Getting the Biggest Checks
Among the named recipients, Insulet Corporation received $10 million in tax incentives and was expected to create 250 jobs in Acton, according to the Boston Herald. Lila Sciences Inc. was awarded $3.6 million and was expected to create 200 jobs in Cambridge, while Bristol-Myers Squibb Company received more than $2.8 million in incentives tied to an expected 125 jobs in Devens, the outlet reported.
Those three companies represent just a slice of the 38 total awardees, and the newsroom notes each recipient must commit to hiring in Massachusetts during 2026 and retaining those jobs through Dec. 31, 2028. To even apply for this round, companies had to already employ at least 10 permanent Massachusetts full-time-equivalent workers as of Dec. 31, 2025, per the program's published guidelines.
Most New Jobs Land Outside Boston and Cambridge
While Boston and Cambridge remain the industry's traditional hubs, the bulk of this round's growth is happening elsewhere. Thirty-one of the 38 award recipients are expanding outside those two cities, and per the same Boston Herald account, those companies account for 71% of the more than 1,600 expected new jobs statewide.
Eric Paley said the awards reflect “a commitment to scaling life sciences companies in Massachusetts,” adding that the awardees strengthen the state's competitive position and support sustained growth in the industry. The pattern suggests state officials are steering incentive dollars toward geographic diversification rather than concentrating growth in the two cities that have long dominated the sector.
How the Incentive Program Works
The Tax Incentive Program is jointly administered by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, and it's designed to support companies of all sizes that commit to creating and retaining new, long-term jobs in the state. Companies that land an award aren't just handed a check and left alone — awardees must regularly report on their progress and maintain their job commitments over a three-year period.
Since the center's founding, companies participating in the program have committed to creating more than 22,300 jobs statewide, according to the Boston Herald's reporting. This year's pool of money is larger than in past rounds because the Mass Leads Act raised the statutory cap for life sciences tax incentives from $30 million to $40 million back in November 2024, giving the state more room to spread awards across a growing list of applicants.
What Happens If Companies Don't Deliver
The program isn't a no-strings-attached grant. Under the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center's rules, a company that fails to meet its hiring commitments can be decertified, and decertified companies are required to return their tax incentives to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. That clawback provision gives the state some leverage to ensure the promised jobs materialize rather than remain projections on paper.
For now, the more than 1,600 jobs tied to this round of awards are described by state leaders as expected, not yet realized. Whether Insulet, Lila Sciences, Bristol-Myers Squibb and the other 35 awardees hit their hiring targets by the end of 2028 will determine whether Massachusetts taxpayers get the return on investment officials are promising.
