San Jose, Calif., September 18, 2018 — NextFlex®, America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Manufacturing Institute, today announced the formation of two Institute “Nodes” in New York and Massachusetts aimed to increase the volume, pace and coordination of FHE development in their respective regions. The Nodes are designed to foster collaboration and benefit NextFlex members by providing access to facilities, equipment and infrastructure to fast-track FHE design, development and manufacturing adoption. They support the national NextFlex mission to facilitate FHE technology innovation, accelerate the development of the manufacturing workforce and promote sustainable advanced manufacturing ecosystems in the U.S. Each Node will have a representative seat on the NextFlex Governing Council.
PELHAM –Lt. Governor Karyn Polito joined leaders from nine western and central Massachusetts communities to celebrate the completion of the Broadband Extension Program, a project funded under the Commonwealth’s Last Mile program. The celebration took place in the Pelham Library and was attended by executives from Comcast, which oversaw expansion of broadband networks in nine towns in western and central Massachusetts, leaders from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI), and community leaders from the nine communities.
SPRINGFIELD – Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash announced $160,000 in grants to support entrepreneur mentoring programs at two organizations in the Pioneer Valley, Springfield’s Valley Venture Mentors (VVM) and SPARK in Holyoke. These grants were made under the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s (MassTech) Entrepreneurship & Mentoring Program, which aims to develop strong mentorship ecosystems in regions across the Commonwealth. The state’s investments will boost programs managed by VVM and SPARK which provide sustainable support for a range of innovative small businesses and non-profits, ranging from start-ups to companies that are ‘scaling up’ for planned expansions.
WOODS HOLE, MASS. – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s (WHOI) Center for Marine Robotics kicked off its 4th Annual Entrepreneur Showcase and Leadership Forum today with the official opening of a new pressure test facility that will help researchers and companies better develop innovative marine technologies. The new facility will allow WHOI to replicate the pressure of the deep ocean in an onshore facility which will more than triple the project capacity of its existing manually-operated system, allow for unattended 24/7 operations, and expand the ability of researchers and private firms to test their marine robotics and sensor systems.
LOWELL, MA – July 12, 2018 – Today, Governor Charlie Baker joined leaders from UMass Lowell, national manufacturing institutes and the Massachusetts advanced manufacturing community to officially open the Fabric Discovery Center at UMass Lowell, a unique research and development facility. The center will drive innovation in textile research and provide a foundation for collaboration between university research, students, and companies from across the Commonwealth. Today’s ribbon cutting follows Governor Baker’s May 2017 announcement of state funding for the construction of the new Fabric Discovery Center through a $10 million award to UMass Lowell. Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative (M2I2) is a state program that invests in emerging advanced manufacturing projects.
BILLERICA, MA – February 1, 2018 – Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced a $400,000 grant to UMass Lowell and SI2 Technologies (SI2) to support a research and development partnership to pursue the commercialization of innovative flexible-hybrid electronics technology. The award will allow research partners to develop new, flexible electronic antennas that can withstand high temperatures, which can be used in autonomous, hypersonic vehicles. The administration is supporting the partnership through the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative (M2I2). This is the second M2I2 award made to this research partnership, following a grant of $512,000 announced by Governor Charlie Baker on the Lowell campus in May 2017.
WORCESTER, MA – January 11, 2018 – Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced a $4 million grant to support the launch of the AIM Photonics ‘Lab for Education & Application Prototypes’ (LEAP), a partnership between Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and Quinsigamond Community College (QCC). The Worcester-based R&D facility will support product development in the emerging field of integrated photonics, which have applications in the development of autonomous vehicles, data storage and telecommunications. The lab will support Massachusetts companies pursuing a transition into the integrated photonics supply chain, by expanding opportunities for research & development, entrepreneurship opportunities and creating new workforce development and educational programs.
LEXINGTON, MA - December 20, 2017 – Today, the Baker-Polito Administration and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative announced a $3.9 million grant to support the second phase of research & development at the Defense Fabric Discovery Center, a cutting-edge research hub which opened in October. This award follows an initial $2.2 million dollar grant announced in May 2017 by Lt. Governor Karyn Polito to support the opening of the Defense Fabric Discovery Center and brings the Commonwealth’s investment to the partnership between MIT Lincoln Laboratory and the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research Development & Engineering Center (NSRDEC) to $6.1 million. Funding will support research & development into revolutionary fibers and fabrics with applications in the defense sector.
AMHERST - In celebration of National Manufacturing Day, the Baker-Polito Administration awarded $7 million in funding to support growth in seven innovative advanced manufacturing projects across the Commonwealth through the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative (M2I2). The funding supports critical research and development infrastructure at advanced manufacturing projects in leading sectors such as advanced functional fabrics, integrated photonics, robotics, & flexible-hybrid electronics.
CAMBRIDGE – Today, at the state’s first-ever Cybersecurity Forum, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced the creation of the “Cybersecurity Growth and Development Center at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative” - a new public center that will aim to connect the cybersecurity ecosystem and train new cybersecurity workers across the Commonwealth. To advise and steer the center, MassTech will convene a Cybersecurity Strategy Council made up of leaders from both the private and public sector.
