SAN DIEGO – Mass. Gov. Deval L. Patrick, in California for the annual convention of the global Biotechnology Industry Organization, was honored today as BIO’s Governor of the Year.

The recognition – before an audience of about 3,000 at the 2008 BIO International Convention’s keynote luncheon, held in an upper-level ballroom at the San Diego Convention Center – comes one day after Patrick signed the Mass. Life Sciences Law. The 10-year, $1 billion investment package aims to expand the state’s life sciences “super cluster.” (READ MORE) It is the result of a yearlong collaboration between the governor, lawmakers and leaders from academia, patient advocacy groups and the life sciences industry.

“I am honored to receive this award from BIO, and I share it proudly with the many people who helped us move the Life Sciences Initiative forward,” Patrick said in a statement today. “Since our announcement of the Mass. Life Sciences Initiative at BIO 2007 (READ MORE), it has been one of the most important priorities of my administration,” he said.

“It is wonderful to know that the international community recognizes that we in Massachusetts are doing things differently, doing them well and making a real difference in the life-sciences cluster and in real people’s lives.”

Presenting the award was Joshua Boger, chairman of the BIO board of directors and the president and CEO of Cambridge-based Vectrix Pharmaceuticals Inc.

“The governor has demonstrated unflinching dedication to our state’s tradition as a welcoming home to research institutions and companies dedicated to combating the diseases that plague mankind,” Boger said. “The signing of the Mass. Life Sciences Initiative is yet another example of the comprehensive approach Governor Patrick and his staff take to ensure the long-term success of life sciences in Massachusetts.”

Patrick’s efforts also were praised by Geoff McKay, CEO of regenerative-medicine leader Organogenesis Inc.

“We are pleased to see that Governor Patrick has been awarded with this well-deserved recognition – and to watch his efforts coming to fruition” with the passage of the life-sciences bill, McKay said.

“Organogenesis is a spin-off of technology developed at MIT,” he noted, “and our living cell therapies have helped to treat hundreds of thousands of patients around the world. We have spent an incredible amount of time, energy and funds to pioneer the regenerative-medicine industry, including the industry’s first-ever FDA approvals.”

When “we had outgrown our existing facilities, and were ready to make a commitment to a major expansion,” McKay added, “Governor Patrick was a major catalyst for Organogenesis’ decision to remain and expand in Massachusetts – and he in fact helped reverse our decision to leave the state.

“The life-sciences bill solidified the state of Massachusetts as the best place in the world to translate potentially life-saving research into viable, successful businesses,” he said.

The lunchtime presentation was followed by a panel discussion featuring Patrick and former Governor Jeb Bush of Florida, and moderated by Neil Cavuto, host of the Fox television show “Your World with Neil Cavuto.” The talk was entitled ““Biotechnology: The Role of Government in Facilitating Research and Discovery in 2009 and Beyond.”

Asked what the next president should do to advance the life sciences, Patrick spoke of the necessity of making long-term investments and keeping politics out of science. He also stressed the importance of a collaborative approach to investing in science and technology and attracting a skilled work force.

Also attending this week’s convention in San Diego are the Bay State’s Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, both of whom had joined Patrick in announcing the initiative in Boston last May, at BIO 2007.

All three were to offer remarks at a session this evening entitled “Celebrating the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative.” Later, they were to attend the BIO 2008 Public Officials Reception, along with former Australian Premier Peter Beattie, another award recipient, and Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Suwit Khunkitti.

Additional news and information from the governor’s office can be found at www.mass.gov.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), based in Washington, D.C., is a trade group providing advocacy, business development and communications services to the international life sciences and biotechnology industries. Formed through the 1993 merger of the Association of Biotechnology Companies and the Industrial Biotechnology Association, it now has more than 1,150 members worldwide. For more information about BIO or its annual convention, visit www.bio.org.