Home Editor's Choice Pryor says he’s ready to take life sciences in R.I. to ‘next...

Pryor says he’s ready to take life sciences in R.I. to ‘next level’

Corrected Sept. 22 at 2:34 p.m.

By

Katie Castellani

-

09/18/2025

Stefan-Pryor (1) — STEFAN PRYOR said sees a lot of potential in the state’s life science efforts during an interview after a forum co-hosted by the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and Rhode Island Commodores. /PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

PROVIDENCE – Stefan Pryor sees a lot of potential in the state’s life science efforts. So much so, part of the reason he decided to return to the Ocean State as Commerce Secretary was to have a role in the Rhode Island Life Science Hub. “I wanted to help take it to the next level,”

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PROVIDENCE – Stefan Pryor sees a lot of potential in the state’s life science efforts. So much so, part of the reason he decided to return to the Ocean State as Commerce Secretary was to have a role in the Rhode Island Life Science Hub. “I wanted to help take it to the next level,” Pryor told Providence Business News Thursday, adding that part of the hub’s enabling statute nominates the Secretary of Commerce as vice chair of the board. If there is no chair of the board, the vice chair is promoted as interim chair. Pryor will step in as interim chairman Oct. 1, filling the vacancy created by the hub's first chairman Neil Steinberg, and remain the role until Gov. Daniel J. McKee appoints a new candidate and that person is approved by the Senate. Indeed, Pryor said that there has been a "multi-institution alliance,” including universities, government officials and health systems, that has formed in support of the hub. “The table has finally been set in the way that truly enables us to get the job done,” Pryor said during a forum focused on the hub Thursday co-hosted by the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and Rhode Island Commodores. "I’m excited also that there are initial investments that are happening that are truly monumental. And there are seeds that have been planted that are now already bearing fruit.” One of these investments is the Ocean State Labs, the state’s first life science startup located at 150 Richmond St. The 30,000-square-foot lab will house a mix of private and open lab spaces and co-working areas to support up to 30 life science and tech companies in Rhode Island. The hub is planning to announce the first five companies occupying space in Ocean State Labs next week, said Dr. Mark Turco, CEO of the R.I. Life Science Hub, during the forum. Turco declined to name the five companies when asked by forum moderator Laurie White, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. He did say one firm is focused on regenerative medicine and another works in neuroscience, specifically on Alzheimer’s disease. With these five companies, about 20% to 25% of the lab space is filled, Turco said. It’s unclear how hard it will be to fill the remaining space, given the rising vacancy rates seen in life science labs in Massachusetts. But Rhode Island is at an advantage because the state has not overbuilt labs and has flexibility scale as the market needs, he said. But beyond incubator lab space, Pryor said it’s important for the state to have “graduation space” where startup life science companies can move to as they grow. While most of the startup life science companies will likely come out of Rhode Island, Pryor said it’s important to attract companies to produce and manufacture products. A lack of available land is the biggest barrier to bringing biomanufacturing to Rhode Island, Pryor said, noting Quonset Business Park is almost full. “[Quonset is] very well managed. It's highly attractive, but its land is nearly done. If we have a million square foot facility that we want to build at Quonset, we can't find the place. We could probably do a couple half million square foot facilities more, and we are done,” Pryor said. “There are knocks on our door and biopharma is very, very much included.” Turco agreed biomanufacturing is a great opportunity for the state but requires a lot of space. A biomanufacturing plant needs about 300,000 square feet for manufacturing facilities, access to highways, as well as lab and office space. At least five major pharmaceutical companies have announced they want to return manufacturing to the United States, partly because of the tariffs imposed under President Donald Trump, Turco said. But right now, Rhode Island doesn’t have the land those companies need. Pryor said his office is looking at central and northern Rhode Island as well as Narragansett, by University of Rhode Island’s campus, as potential areas to support biomanufacturing. “We’ve got to make a concerted effort,” Pryor said, hinting that in the next General Assembly session there will be a bond related to this placed on the ballot. “We've got to seriously consider whether industrial construction is limited by land and whether we can do something about it through financing.” Beyond the real estate space, there needs to be programs and investments supporting life sciences, Pryor said. And so far, there’s a good start. The hub has a series of programs that offers funds, and since launching in 2024 it has awarded $16 million to help launch, grow and attract life science companies in Rhode Island. Commerce also has its Innovation Voucher Program, which offers up to $75,000 for a small business to partner on research and development with a local "knowledge provider" that is usually a higher education institution or funds for manufacturers can be used in-house. About 29% of those funds have gone to bioscience companies, Pryor said. Universities must also get better at commercializing technologies to help form a solid foundation for the state’s life science industry that is crucial for attracting larger companies, Turco said. Pryor agreed, adding that some states like Ohio and Virginia have created coalitions that help researchers get their technologies to market faster. Turco acknowledged it is a difficult time for colleges and universities as they have seen federal funds drop. This makes it all the more important for the state to invest in life sciences. “If we do not invest at the state level, we will fall very far behind,” Turco said. During the next legislative session McKee intends to present a package of initiatives focused on the economy, Pryor said. While it’s too early to identify what will be part of the package, bioscience and blue economy sectors are among the “potential points of emphasis.” “We need to send the message collectively, based on data and based upon the good work that's occurring, that [bio science is] worthy of investment, and there's going to be opportunities for [bio sciences]” Pryor said. (SUBS 19th paragraph to correct funding available through Innovation Voucher Program.) Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.