"Until a few months ago, there was no space to be had here," a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council tells GlobeSt.com. "Now, with the dot-coms going out of business there is space available."

Initially, space requirements for a biotech startup are small--usually between 5,000 sf to 20,000 sf. As a company makes the transition from research and development to process development--where they figure out the best way to make the product--to manufacturing, space needs go up. Many companies here are in tight quarters and contract out for their manufacturing needs.

The larger companies, like Biogen Inc. and Genzyme Corp., both of which are based here, made recent announcements that they are expanding their manufacturing capacities around the world. Biogen is planning a $350-million facility in Denmark while Genzyme announced plans for new plants in Framingham and Waterford, Ireland, as well as expansion of a facility in Haverhill, England.