Tooting My Own Horn – Biotech Edition

Pioneer has had a lot to say about the Governor’s biotech proposal — some positive, some negative — but the exact parameters of the proposal are not yet clear. There’s a lot of discussion around research grants, paying for equipment, and tax incentives, but a many details remain to be filled in.

The Administration is having its first meeting of a large advisory group to begin the work on those details. My thoughts, from an article in this morning’s Globe:

Patrick has won praise from life-science leaders for the inclusiveness of his approach to building and luring a competitive industry. But as his plans become more concrete, letting biotech leaders suggest ways to give cash to their own industry raises potential conflicts of interest, said Steve Poftak , director of research at the conservative Pioneer Institute , a public-policy think tank in Boston.

“This is a very specialized area in which you need a lot of expertise, but a lot of the people with expertise stand to be beneficiaries,” he said. “You have to be careful that you don’t get a situation where the people making the policy become the recipients of the program.”