Patrick to address life sciences summit tomorrow

Governor Deval Patrick is scheduled to speak at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow during a life sciences summit with industry leaders at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

In addition, researchers from the UMass Donahue Institute plan to present preliminary findings from a $200,000 study of "current and future needs talent needs of the life sciences industry" in Massachusetts.

According to a draft of the report, UMass researchers found local employers have found it difficult to fill some highly skilled positions. For instance, the vacancy rate is 12 percent for medical scientists and 10 percent for biochemists.

Also, the report says about 38 percent of medical scientists and 22 percent of computer engineers are foreign citizens, compared to 7 percent for all occupations. The final version of the UMass report is due in June and some of the numbers could be revised for tomorrow's presentation.
(By Todd Wallack, Globe staff)