[Press Release] Massachusetts Technology Collaborative Awards $356,955 to Support Ocean Monitoring at Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute (GMGI)
(BOSTON, MA) Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s (MassTech) Innovation Institute has awarded $356,955 to the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute (GMGI) for key technology upgrades that will enhance ocean monitoring. The award was granted to GMGI through the Technology and Innovation Ecosystem Awards Program, a statewide initiative that drives job growth, business expansion and workforce development in industry clusters focused on technology and innovation. The funds
GMGI is at the forefront of eDNA technologies, a cost-effective method for monitoring biodiversity and tracking marine species in a non-destructive manner. Researchers use eDNA — the genetic material shed by organisms into the surrounding environment — to better understand how ocean ecosystems change over time. With enhanced eDNA tools, GMGI will be able to create new opportunities for research and development in ocean management that will advance the BlueTech economy in Massachusetts’s North Shore region.
“Marine sustainability is a key priority for both the North Shore and the broader Massachusetts BlueTech economy,” said Innovation Institute Director Pat Larkin. “GMGI will leverage these state funds to expand beyond regional impacts to become a national and global leader in applying eDNA to sustainable ocean management.”
“Investing in eDNA is critical for a sustainable future,” said Andrea Bodnar, Ph.D., The Donald G. Comb Science Director at GMGI. “Environmental DNA technologies have transformed how we monitor aquatic life, and funding from MassTech will expand GMGI’s impact on fisheries and biodiversity conservation”.
GMGI is a not-for-profit organization that is working to address challenges facing our oceans through innovative scientific research and education. The organization’s efforts are focused on leveraging genomics to drive scientific breakthroughs and provide opportunities for workforce development in the Bluetech sector.
With this grant, GMGI will be able to more accurately assess marine ecosystems to better understand the impacts of environmental change and offshore wind development. Additionally, GMGI expects that the growth in their eDNA service platform, made possible by the MassTech funds, will stimulate the local economy by providing more jobs and research opportunities in the North Shore region and beyond.
About the Innovation Institute at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech)
The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech) is a quasi-public economic development agency that strengthens the competitiveness of the tech and innovation economy by driving strategic investments, partnerships, and insights that harness the talent of Massachusetts.
The Innovation Institute is the division of MassTech created in 2003 that advances innovation and cluster growth across the state in four ways:
- Conducts research and analysis that improves the state’s understanding of unmet needs and opportunities in the innovation economy
- Serves as a convener and key strategic broker within various sectors
- Manages high-value projects on behalf of the state
- Makes strategic investments in support of innovation-based economic development
For more information, visit https://innovation.masstech.org/.
About Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute
Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute addresses critical challenges facing our oceans, human health, and the environment through innovative scientific research and education. By bringing world-class science and transformative workforce development to Gloucester’s historic waterfront, GMGI is catalyzing the regional economy. GMGI’s state-of-the-art research institute on Gloucester Harbor opened in 2018 at 417 Main Street. GMGI’s Gloucester Biotechnology Academy is a 9-month certificate training program that trains recent high school graduates for careers as lab technicians.
For more information, visit https://gmgi.org/.
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