Kristen Smith 
Draper has received new funding from Massachusetts and the City of Lowell for the construction of its Integrated Microelectronics Production & Advanced Chip Technology Center. Draper said Monday that Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey had announced up to $25 million in state and local funding for the infrastructure, supporting the commonwealth’s defense sector.
What Will the IMPACT Center Bring to Massachusetts?
The 75,000-square-foot IMPACT Center will be located in the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor and will feature design, production and packaging facilities for advanced microelectronics used in U.S. military, aerospace and government systems. The facility is expected to generate more than 150 high-skilled, classified national security jobs.
Establishing the IMPACT Center is part of Draper’s partnership with the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the University of Massachusetts Building Authority, the City of Lowell and the commonwealth. Draper plans to contribute $10 million over the next decade toward research, education and programming at UML.
“Today’s investment reflects Governor Healey’s ongoing commitment to the needs of the nation’s defense sector,” said Jerry Wohletz, Draper’s president and CEO. “The IMPACT Center will significantly expand the nation’s secure, on-shore microelectronics production capacity and deliver new capabilities to our military.”
The new funding follows the opening of Draper’s new corporate campus at UML, serving as an anchor tenant in LINC.
