Building a Future for Advanced Manufacturing
Governor Mitt Romney, over the summer, signed into law an economic stimulus bill that includes $35 million for an integrated advanced manufacturing research and technology assistance facility at UMass Lowell, following strong advocacy for the funding from Lowell area legislators.
“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 crafted the final legislation. “This will capture for the region the jobs of the future.”
The new law appropriated $21 million and approved state bonding for $14 million for a nano- and bio-manufacturing facility on campus. “The university is not the only agency the state has to worry about. We appreciate all that they do for us,” said Chancellor David J. MacKenzie.
The University’s plan for funding the remainder of the $80 million facility costs was approved recently by the UMass Board of Trustees. The University will borrow an additional $35 million and tap other sources for another $10 million. The building requires state-of-the-art interdisciplinary research laboratories and prototype manufacturing space and will be the first new academic building constructed on campus in more than 30 years.
The building is expected to house the campus’s expanded Nanomanufacturing and BioManufacturing Centers and the green chemistry program. It will be outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment, clean rooms, research and production assistance, and prototype manufacturing space to facilitate partnerships with industry.
Since the funding was approved, plans have moved forward for selecting a site for the building. Vice Chancellor for Facilities Diana Prideaux-Brune recently presented four siting options to Lowell’s State House delegation, Congressman Marty Meehan and officials from the City of Lowell. Under consideration are sites on UML North (Riverside Parking Lot), UML’s old West Campus on Princeton Street, the corner of Perkins and Aiken Street in the Lawrence Mills site and an area near the National Park Vistor Center in Lowell’s Hamilton Canal District.
The building is only one element of the campus’s $266 million master plan, which the Trustees also approved. For more information on the plan go to www.uml.edu/masterplan.
“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 crafted the final legislation. “This will capture for the region the jobs of the future.”
The new law appropriated $21 million and approved state bonding for $14 million for a nano- and bio-manufacturing facility on campus. “The university is not the only agency the state has to worry about. We appreciate all that they do for us,” said Chancellor David J. MacKenzie.
The University’s plan for funding the remainder of the $80 million facility costs was approved recently by the UMass Board of Trustees. The University will borrow an additional $35 million and tap other sources for another $10 million. The building requires state-of-the-art interdisciplinary research laboratories and prototype manufacturing space and will be the first new academic building constructed on campus in more than 30 years.
The building is expected to house the campus’s expanded Nanomanufacturing and BioManufacturing Centers and the green chemistry program. It will be outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment, clean rooms, research and production assistance, and prototype manufacturing space to facilitate partnerships with industry.
Since the funding was approved, plans have moved forward for selecting a site for the building. Vice Chancellor for Facilities Diana Prideaux-Brune recently presented four siting options to Lowell’s State House delegation, Congressman Marty Meehan and officials from the City of Lowell. Under consideration are sites on UML North (Riverside Parking Lot), UML’s old West Campus on Princeton Street, the corner of Perkins and Aiken Street in the Lawrence Mills site and an area near the National Park Vistor Center in Lowell’s Hamilton Canal District.
The building is only one element of the campus’s $266 million master plan, which the Trustees also approved. For more information on the plan go to www.uml.edu/masterplan.
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