Funding Approved For New Manufacturing Research Facility At UMass

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has approved the $35 million the Legislature passed for an integrated advanced manufacturing research and technology assistance facility at University of Massachusetts, Lowell.

“The broad support for the building is outstanding news, not only for the campus, but for the region as a whole,” said Chancellor William T. Hogan. “With it, we will help companies turn out nano-scale products and produce new life-saving biopharmaceuticals.”

The bill appropriates $21 million and approves state bonding for $14 million for a nano- and bio-manufacturing facility on campus. The University will borrow an additional $35 million and reach out to other sources for $10 million to fund the proposed $80 million facility, which requires state-of-the-art interdisciplinary research laboratories and prototype manufacturing space.

 “This investment puts Lowell at the forefront of two emerging industries – nanomanufacturing and biomanufacturing,” said Sen. Steven C. Panagiotakos, a member of the conference committee that penned the final legislation. “This will capture for the region the jobs of the future.”

If funding is secured, the facility will be the first new academic building constructed on campus in more than 30 years. Officials are hoping for a 2010 completion date. The center is expected to create 8,000 to 10,000 new jobs in the next decade.