The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, a quasi-public agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, said that it has awarded a $5 million capital grant to support the launch of LabCentral, a state-of-the art 27,000 square-foot facility that is scheduled to open in Cambridge in November.

A goal of LabCentral is to foster biotechnology startups by enabling them to rent small amounts of lab space. The lab will be located in Kendall Square, a hub of much life sciences activity.