The city of Woburn has been designated a "platinum community," the top-ranking award as part of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council’s BioReady Community Campaign, conducted with the support of MassEcon and regional organizations throughout the state.

The distinction places Woburn in a leading economic role, along with cities such as Boston and Cambridge, as a municipality working to increasingly adopt local policies that ease the pathway for renovation and new construction of biotech laboratories and manufacturing facilities.

"The city of Woburn is proud to have earned the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council’s highest rating. This special distinction highlights Woburn’s ongoing efforts to attract and retain innovative, quality biotechnology companies," said Mayor Scott D. Galvin. "It also delivers new opportunities to attract the kinds of companies that deliver solid, well-paying jobs to the area."

The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio), along with partner organizations, began the BioReady Communities Campaign in 2008.

"As a platinum community in the BioReady Campaign, Woburn will continue its commitment to smart economic planning by working to attract more biotechnology companies to locate here, along the state’s technology highway at the crossroads of Route 93 and 95," Galvin said.

As part of the BioReady Campaign, the Biotech Council has developed ratings for municipalities that fill out a survey related to its zoning practices and infrastructure capacity. Municipalities are ranked on a scale of bronze, silver, gold or platinum. The Biotech Council uses these guidelines and ratings system to help biotechnology companies find the most appropriate destinations in Massachusetts. To date, there are 69 BioReady rated communities in Massachusetts. Woburn is one of less than two dozen of the 351 cities and towns in the commonwealth to earn the platinum distinction.