Dr. John E. Niederhuber, director of the National Cancer Institute, said the economic downturn slowed the project, "but we kept working, and things began to turn around last summer," adding that no government program pushed construction forward.

Bradley C. Guyton, president of builder Morgan-Keller said he couldn't use the state's incentive program, a $5,000 credit for each unemployed Marylander hired, because "the economy's too difficult to maintain a stable of people." The tax break has been used 70 times since it was signed into law this spring, the governor said.

In his speech at the site, O'Malley took no credit for the development but hailed it as representative of the kind of jobs growth he has fostered.

The research park, which will open next year and eventually be home to about 500 scientists and other employees, is just the kind of "innovation economy" that makes Maryland unique, he said. The construction alone has generated about 350 jobs. The park is designed to encourage public-private partnerships -- with the federal research facility ringed by outposts for pharmaceutical companies, Niederhuber said.

O'Malley, a Democrat, is part of a chorus of candidates repeating a refrain about the economy and jobs. His likely opponent, Republican former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., has criticized the current administration as hostile to small business. Ehrlich outlined some ideas for improving the state's business climate in campaign events earlier this week.

O'Malley, at the Frederick stop, called small business part of "a larger story," saying the state should key in on its innovation potential. He has long trumpeted Maryland's burgeoning bioscience and technology industries.

The governor's jobs tour continues this week with a Thursday stop in Baltimore. He will participate in a “move-in” ceremony for Morgan Stanley’s new location, part of a planned expansion creating up to 1,000 new jobs, his aides say.