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Scott Allocco got an early start on his holiday weekend, as the president and co-founder of Baltimore cancer diagnostics company BioMarker Strategies took the day off Thursday.

He had earned it, after he and other BioMarker representatives waited in line for five days to turn in investors' applications for state tax credits on Wednesday morning, July 1, the start of the fiscal year.

Allocco, in fact, was the first in line last Friday morning and said by that afternoon, representatives from seven other biotechs had joined him. Last year, he showed up the night of June 30 and was third in line.

"With the economy being down, I thought there would be a lot more interest in the program this year," Allocco said. "I decided not to take any risks and protect my investors."

By the time Wednesday morning rolled around, representatives from 20 companies were in line. Two more submitted applications after the 9 a.m. opening bell.

The early lineup surprised officials from the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, which oversees the $6 million first-come, first-served tax credit program that started in 2006.

"We expected people to start lining up Monday, but not last Friday," said Karen Glenn Hood, a DBED spokeswoman. "That shows the level of interest in the program."

Despite being longer, the wait this year was more comfortable than last year's, when company executives camped out overnight on the street in front of DBED's Baltimore headquarters. This year, the University of Maryland BioPark allowed people to use an air-conditioned conference room that had Wi-Fi access, carpets and even a gym with showers. Some representatives slept on air mattresses in sleeping bags, while others used cots and futons.

"I was able to take my laptop and do a lot of work while waiting," said Marty Zug, CFO of Rockville biopharmaceutical company Sequella, which develops products to improve the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis.

Zug was third in line, as he joined the BioPark campers last Friday. Last year, he was fourth after getting in line the night before. Like Allocco, Zug had help from other Sequella employees and others who relieved his wait over the five days.

"For people to wait so long, that shows how important the program is to the community," Zug said. He added that he hadn't heard of anyone waiting in line so long, not even for popular concert acts.

Hood said there were no complaints about the waiting process, although executives wanted to see more than $6 million in the program. During this year's legislative session, some lawmakers sought to cut the program to help plug a budget gap, before the General Assembly approved the full funding.

Under the program, investors in Maryland biotechs are allowed a 50 percent credit against state income taxes. The company must be privately held with headquarters in Maryland, must have fewer than 50 employees and must be in business less than 12 years.

There is a limit of 15 percent of the total budget for each biotech, which means the most credits a business can offer its investors in a single year is $900,000 worth on $1.8 million of new investment. During the 2008 calendar year, 18 Maryland biotechs in Montgomery, Prince George's, Frederick, Baltimore and Howard counties, as well as Baltimore city, received credits under the program, according to a DBED report. Since 2006, the program has issued $18 million in tax credits to 39 companies.

Hood said it would take DBED officials about a week to review the applications and determine the applicants' qualifications. Some money could become available later in the year, as investors sometimes don't want to invest as much as they initially thought, so she encouraged companies to continue applying.