New legislation:

• The Green Jobs Act, 2008: a $68 million, five year plan to develop green technologies in the Commonwealth, including the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center supporting R&D, entrepreneurship, and workforce training in the clean-tech industries.
• Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative, 2008: a ten-year, $1 billion package of investment resources designed to foster continued growth in the Massachusetts Life Sciences Supercluster.
• Broadband Act establishing theMassachusetts Broadband Institute, 2008: A major new initiative to extend affordable high-speed internet access to all homes, businesses, schools, libraries, medical facilities, government office and other public places in the State.

Progress:

• The Massachusetts Life Science Center approved more than $8 million in funding for a stem cell bank and registry at the UMass Medical Center in Worcester in 2007.
• In May 2008, Google opened an office in Kendall Square, adding 200 employees in the first year and developing its’ first Cambridge-based product: Google Friend Connect.
• The Broad Institute officially “spun-off” from MIT in 2008 following a $400 endowment gifted to the institution by the namesake philanthropists Edyth and Eli Broad.
• Creation of a $1 million annual business plan competition designed to attract more high-growth startups to the state to get underway in 2010 modeled on similar contests at MIT and other universities.  Announced by Governor Patrick in 2009, it will be open to all teams of entrepreneurs willing to headquarter their companies in Massachusetts. 
• Apartnership between the MBI and the Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) to bring broadband to underserved communities in western Massachusetts was announced by Governor Patrick in July 2009. The $4.3 million in state bond funds will help build out broadband networks to enhance service for small businesses, schools and individuals and improve security and transportation operations in the area. 
• Governor Patrick called for establishment of a collaborative framework between industry, academia, and government (an “IT Collaborative”) to advance policy and an action agenda to improve the IT Sector’s Competiveness. 

Breakthroughs:

• Givvy, an online database of 1.4 million charities developed by Framingham-based Treadway, was launched—free-to-individuals as a Web 2.0 tool—to facilitate charitable giving.
• Greater Boston Innovation Map was published by Xconomy.com, tracking Boston, Seattle and San Diego Tech and Life Sciences sectors.
• Biotech firm Sirtris, announced the formation of a new nonprofit group in the Boston area called the Healthy Lifespan Institute to research non-pharmaceutical measures that people can take to live longer and healthier lives and to educate people about the aging process
• Massachusetts broke ground on the new Wind Technology Testing Center in Charlestown in 2009, funded through a $25 million stimulus grant from the Department of Energy, the center will be the first in North America with the ability to test blades for commercial wind turbines that are longer than 50 meters.

Headwinds:

• Cape Wind’s plans to be the nation’s first off-shore wind farm remain stalled by political conflict and regulatory hurdles.
• Harvard ceased construction of its state-of-the-art science center in Allston as a result of recent financial losses.