Stakeholders Gathered To Drive Economic Growth in the Energy and Sustainability Sectors
Image by MassCEC photo
02/18/2026
Media contacts: David Joyner, executive director of communications and digital media, David_Joyner@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, associate director of media relations, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – Entrepreneurs, researchers, elected officials and economic development leaders who share an interest in advancing the clean-energy economy recently gathered at UMass Lowell to highlight Northeastern Massachusetts’ leadership in climate technology.
Organized by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), the daylong event brought together local economic stakeholders for conversations, presentations, and regional site visits.
“UMass Lowell is proud of its leadership in sustainability, as embodied by the Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy’s impressive track record of implementing cutting-edge solutions in partnership with industries, agencies and other universities,” said UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen. “We are especially proud to host this important conversation with the goal of supporting both the climate goals of Massachusetts and the economic and workforce growth of our region.”
“MassCEC is thrilled to bring the Climatetech Corridor Roadshow to UMass Lowell and several area organizations,” said Jennifer Le Blond, interim CEO of MassCEC. “Our goal is to drive economic growth in the Northeast, where communities from the Merrimack Valley to the North Shore have long thrived on innovation and industry. Growing the climatetech sector in these cities and towns means creating good jobs, boosting local economies, and making energy more affordable.”
In February 2025, MassCEC released a 10-year economic development strategy to make Massachusetts the world leader in climate innovation. According to the report, the state’s Northeast region is well-positioned to benefit from the economic growth driven by climatetech thanks to its strong leadership in advanced manufacturing, offshore wind and a highly skilled workforce.
Following a roundtable discussion at UMass Lowell’s Rist Institute for Energy and Sustainability, participants at the roadshow event during the first week of February proceeded to tour several regional facilities. These included EVOLOH in Lowell, CubicPV in Bedford, and Schneider Electric’s Innovation Hub and Reframe Systems’ manufacturing facility in Andover.
“Partnerships have been critical to the success of UMass Lowell’s energy and sustainability work. MassCEC continues to be one of our most important partners, and we look forward to working with the team at MassCEC and the entire Healey- Driscoll administration to advance the state’s climate tech focused economic and workforce development goals,” said Ruairi O’Mahony, associate vice chancellor for sustainability and enterprise development and executive director of the Rist Institute.
In his 2025 State of the University speech, UMass President Marty Meehan promised a “whole of university” effort to support the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s climate tech push. “In concert with our state partners, and with both sustainability and global competitiveness in mind, UMass is helping to position Massachusetts in one of the largest industries in the coming decade – climate technology,” Meehan remarked late last year.
The stop at UMass Lowell was the Climatetech Corridor Roadshow’s third at a UMass campus, following previous events at UMass Amherst and UMass Dartmouth in 2025. MassCEC will soon bring the Roadshow to the Berkshires and Greater Boston.
About the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center is a state economic development agency dedicated to accelerating the growth of the clean energy and climatetech sector across the Commonwealth to spur job creation, deliver statewide environmental benefits, increase affordability and secure long-term economic opportunities for the people of Massachusetts. Since 2010, MassCEC has awarded $990 million in programs and investments and attracted?$3 billion in private and public funds.