The opening ceremonies for WPI Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center at Gateway Park were highlighted with speeches by Congressman James P. McGovern and Lt. Governor Timothy Murray. Gateway Park is a joint venture of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and the Worcester Business Development Corporation (WBDC). Located in Worcester, near the intersection of I-190 and I-290, Gateway Park is designed as a 12 acre, mixed-use destination for life sciences and biotech companies and the people who work for them.
The project includes: five life sciences buildings totaling 500,000 square feet of flexible, adaptable lab space designed to meet the needs of research organizations; 241,000 sq. ft. of market rate, loft condominiums; as well as several planned retail establishments. WPI is also exploring the possibility of graduate student housing on one of the sites. Gateway Park is part of the larger 55-acre Gateway redevelopment district. It is currently home to numerous businesses, offices, restaurants, and business services, as well as a Courtyard by Marriott hotel.
The Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center will serve as WPI’s hub for graduate education and research in the life sciences and related engineering fields. Its research areas will include regenerative medicine, molecular nanotechnology and biosensors, plant systems, tissue engineering, and untethered healthcare.
Gateway Park is also critical to the economic development of central Massachusetts; WPI has worked closely with the Worcester Business Development Corp. (WBDC) and state and federal officials to make it a centerpiece for the growth of the life sciences industry in New England. Its buildings are being custom-designed to answer the specific needs of the life sciences researchers and companies with flexible, adaptable lab space, and cutting-edge wireless infrastructure. Furthermore, Gateway Park is allowing for economic development in Worcester, while simultaneously preserving historically significant buildings and revitalizing the community.
A large number of biotech and life sciences companies have already chosen to move to central Massachusetts because of lower operating costs and easy access to university researchers, clinical trial sites, trained labor, etc. In the past five years, 49 of the 100 largest biotech firms in Massachusetts have located between Rt. 128 and Worcester, with only one of the top 25 medial device firms remaining in Boston.
Worcester offers an environment rich with investors and incentives offering a variety of funding sources. It is home to a highly educated workforce of professionals in science, technology, and management and boasts an affordable cost of living and superior quality of life. Worcester also holds the key to the success of any life science undertaking in that it brings together a confluence of "the eds and the meds" with 14 academic institutions of higher learning and two major hospital systems. The move westward by large and small companies creates an exciting opportunity for Worcester, the second largest city in Massachusetts.
Vision
A launching pad for academic and medical institutions to enhance their leading-edge research programs in life sciences, biotechnology, and bio/chemical engineering
A destination for companies large and small – representing the entire continuum of life sciences product development: inception, refinement, and commercialization.
A hub for the development and delivery of education and workforce training programs to support life sciences, bioengineering, and biomanufacturing
A vibrant community of young professionals; an environment that fosters the exchange of ideas among scientists, scholars, students, and entrepreneurs
A tranquil, tree-lined, landscaped mixed-use campus close to the cultural pulse of Worcester (Worcester Art Museum, Tuckerman Hall, Mechanics Hall, DCU Center, Institute Park)
A new life to downtown Worcester by establishing a mixed-use destination which includes companies, residential areas, and retail establishments
The opening ceremonies for WPI Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center at 
Gateway Park is also critical to the economic development of central Massachusetts; WPI has worked closely with the Worcester Business Development Corp. (WBDC) and state and federal officials to make it a centerpiece for the growth of the life sciences industry in New England. Its buildings are being custom-designed to answer the specific needs of the life sciences researchers and companies with flexible, adaptable lab space, and cutting-edge wireless infrastructure. Furthermore, Gateway Park is allowing for economic development in Worcester, while simultaneously preserving historically significant buildings and revitalizing the community.