Across the country, states are investing billions of dollars to fuel scientific research and create biotechnology hubs like those in California, which has the world's largest concentration of biotechnology companies and investment.

Jeb Bush (center), former governor of Florida, and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (right) discussed biotech innovation at the S.D. Convention Center yesterday. Fox Network's Neil Cavuto (left) moderated.

On Monday, Massachusetts signed into law a $1 billion incentive package to ignite biotechnology development under a proposal Gov. Deval Patrick revealed a year ago.

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley upped the ante yesterday, proposing a $1.1 billion investment to lure biotech.

Florida has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars to build its biotech base, using some of that money to fund new labs and offices for three La Jolla-based research institutes: the Scripps Research Institute, the Burnham Institute for Medical Research and the Torrey Pines Research Institute.

“It was a way to get us into the game,” former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said yesterday during a speech at the BIO International conference at the San Diego Convention Center.

Patrick, who spoke on the same panel as Bush, said that even in tough economic times, Massachusetts' investment was worth it. “It is a long-term investment,” he said. “We don't expect results immediately.”

Biotechnology is the type of industry that cities and states want. Its average salary in California is more than $71,000 a year, and those employees want good schools, cultural outlets and other amenities that make a region an attractive place to live, according to a study by the California Healthcare Institute.

And it is an industry that aims to find cures for some of society's worst diseases, make diagnostics to help detect diseases early, develop biofuels to ease the insatiable demand for oil and improve farm crop yields through genetic developments on plants.

But biotechnology also takes as many public relations hits as Big Oil.

Critics of state investments in biotechnology say the industry spends enormous amounts of money on failed research efforts, while its executives still walk away with fat salaries.

Bush said it was worth the political criticism to invest in an industry that not only creates good jobs but also holds the promise of doing great things in the future.

“Being at the intersection of doing good and making money isn't a bad place to be,” he said.

Bush, who left office last year, did not speak about what would happen in Florida if the investment he initiated does not create the biotechnology industry he promised.

In Massachusetts, Patrick said he wants to be open about the investment's effect on jobs and the economy and be honest if it is not getting results. Then the state can make changes, he said.

“Obviously we want to be prudent and cautious, but we also don't want to be stuck,” Patrick said. “The economy is cyclical. There will be a recovery. And we better be positioning ourselves to take advantage of that growth when it comes.”

Terri Somers: (619) 293-2028; terri.somers@uniontrib.com