"Other cities around the country want to see this happen," Klocke said. "Cutting edge technology is the best way to grow your company."
Massachusetts receives $4 billion each year from government agencies for university research.
"We think the funding should grow faster than inflation," Klocke said. He is pushing for a five to seven percent increase for the next fiscal year.
The competition for funds is fierce, Klocke said, because the amount of money that Congress has to play with is small despite the large surplus.
"They're trying to put 10 pounds of sugar in a 5 pound bag," he said.
Still, Klocke says, "I think we have a good shot at protecting these accounts. Nearly everybody understands the importance of research to economic growth."