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"Worcester has done everything it can to be a great partner, to welcome those companies," he added. e future, accord- ing to Jon Weaver, president and CEO of Worcester incubator Massachusetts Bio- medical Initiatives, is about even more growth. Lab and manufacturing occupancy is high, new construction is moving ahead rapid- ly; the challenge will be working regionally on issues like housing and transportation. "We are focused on how Worcester com- plements rather than competes with what's happening in the rest of the state," Weaver said. For his part, Matt Zicaro, vice president of real estate development, engineering and project management at Galaxy Life Sciences in Webster, says he believes the sector will be bright for years, even with a possible upcom- ing recession. "We are in a great location with a local pipe- line through the colleges and the ability to pull talent from Boston, Rhode Island, Connecti- cut, and New Hampshire," Zicaro said. e key, he believes, is the hub of talented researchers in the region. North Carolina might have a small cost advantage, he admitted. But for life scienc- es executives, "What keeps them up at night is whether they can get access to talent, and that's the main thing driving their location decisions, followed by affordabil- ity and not having to spend two hours getting to work," Zicaro said. – Alan R. Earls W o r c e s t e r 3 0 0 : C i t y o f I n n o v a t o r s 61 2022 & Beyond PHOTOS | WBJ FILE T he big picture is growth and more growth for an industry applicable to almost every facet of life on the planet and still, by many measures, in its infancy. According to a report from Grandview Research, "Biotechnology Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report....2021 – 2028," the worldwide biotech market was valued at $752.88 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 15.83% through 2028. Similarly, a 2021 McKinsey article, "What's ahead for biotech: Another wave or low tide?," cites the rapid advances in biological science and supporting technologies such as artifi- cial intelligence as factors are likely to take innovation to a new level. Referencing another McKinsey report, the author noted biomole- cules, biosystems, biomachines, and biocom- puting could collectively produce up to 60% of the physical inputs to the global economy, and referred to this as a Bio Revolution. In the U.S., Massachusetts has seen some of e industry of tomorrow Worcester seeks to be a major player in life sciences the most spectacular growth in these areas and can claim an unmatched scientific community of world-class research, patents, and Nobel prize winners. Ben Bradford, vice president of economic development and workforce with the state- wide trade association MassBio, says the state has always had as a strength its cutting-edge research and development. "Right now, we're seeing significant growth in the cell and gene therapy space and when those companies manufacture their products, they want that to be close to their research and development, which gives Massachusetts a tremendous opportunity," Bradford said. Jon Weaver, Massa- chusetts Biomedical Initiatives Matt Zicaro, Galaxy Life Sciences ZATA Pharmaceuticals, based in Worcester A technician works in a Worcester life sciences lab.