Dedicates $50M to science, technology, engineering, arts and math
(STEAM) education for underserved students and establishes The Vertex
Foundation
Expands global efforts for providing patient and caregiver support
including access to our medicines; developing young scientists and
physicians; and strengthening our communities
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) today announced a
10-year, $500 million corporate giving commitment focused on providing
patient and caregiver support including access to our medicines;
expanding our commitment to science, technology, engineering, arts and
math (STEAM) education; developing young physicians and scientists; and
investing in our communities. $50 million of this giving will be
dedicated to STEAM education, particularly for underserved students and
young women. As part of this commitment, the company will establish The
Vertex Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization and long-term source of
charitable giving, with an initial contribution of $10 million. The
Vertex Foundation will support, among other initiatives, a new
dollar-for-dollar matching gifts program to extend the impact of
employee donations to qualified non-profit organizations.
In addition, Vertex will extend for another 10 years its successful
collaboration with the Boston Public Schools (BPS) to ensure that BPS
students continue to have ongoing access to Vertex's 3,000 square foot
learning lab, mentoring and internship opportunities with Vertex
scientists and full four-year scholarships to the University of
Massachusetts each year.
"Giving back is part of who we are at Vertex - it's in our DNA," said
Dr. Jeffrey Leiden, President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of
Vertex. "This new 10-year commitment will provide many more
opportunities for Vertex and its employees to make a difference in the
lives of people with serious diseases and those living in our
communities."
"For Vertex, innovative ideas that transform lives have never been
restricted to lab rooms," said Congressman Joe Kennedy III. "With this
investment in their neighbors, patients, and local students, Vertex can
both strengthen their community today and expand our Commonwealth's
workforce of tomorrow."
"In Boston, we are lucky to have companies like Vertex stepping up and
contributing to our city and our future workforce," said Boston Mayor
Martin J. Walsh. "This commitment will mean thousands of students across
the City will continue to have the opportunity to get hands-on
experiences in STEAM and see a place for themselves in Boston's thriving
innovation economy."
Vertex's corporate giving commitment will focus on the following:
-
The cystic fibrosis (CF) patient community globally, including
enabling access to our medicines;
-
STEAM education, focused on underserved students and young women;
-
Developing young physicians and scientists; and
-
Strengthening our local communities, including fostering the
innovation ecosystem and supporting youth health and wellness.
The Vertex Foundation will launch in 2018.
About Vertex
Vertex is a global biotechnology company that
invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for
people with serious and life-threatening diseases. In addition to
clinical development programs in CF, Vertex has more than a dozen
ongoing research programs focused on the underlying mechanisms of other
serious diseases.
Founded in 1989 in Cambridge, Mass., Vertex's headquarters is now
located in Boston's Innovation District. Today, the company has research
and development sites and commercial offices in the United States,
Europe, Canada and Australia. Vertex is consistently recognized as one
of the industry's top places to work, including being named to Science
magazine's Top Employers in the life sciences ranking for seven
years in a row. For additional information and the latest updates from
the company, please visit www.vrtx.com.
For Funding Requests please visit https://www.vrtx.com/giving-back.
(VRTX-GEN)
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171017005502/en/
Vertex
Media:
Heather Nichols, 617-341-6992
mediainfo@vrtx.com
or
Investors:
Michael
Partridge, 617-341-6108
or
Eric Rojas, 617-961-7205
or
Zach
Barber, 617-341-6470
Source: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
News Provided by Acquire Media
