On 21 May the US government announced a US$1-billion programme to boost hiring and production at biotechnology companies with fewer than 250 workers. The initiative is part of the Therapeutic Discovery Project Program created by the US health-care legislation signed into law on 23 March. Awards will be tax credits or grants to cover up to 50% of basic research costs, and the US Treasury says that one criterion for earning grants will be the potential to create or sustain jobs. The economic downturn has caused layoffs and project delays throughout the industry, says Alan Eisenberg, of the Washington DC-based Biotechnology Industry Organization. “This infusion of cash will help companies get to the next milestone,” he says.