What's Happening in Lowell, MA…

UMass Lowell recently received $11.3 million from the state to establish a Fabric Discovery Center and collaborate with partners in industry.

Of that $11.3 million, $10 million will go towards building a hub where industry and researchers can work together on next-generation smart fabrics while the remaining $1.3 million will support projects with industry partners Raytheon and S12. The goal is to enable Lowell to re-emerge as a leader in 21st century textiles.

Vice chancellor for research and innovation at UMass Lowell, Julie Chen, said these new textiles will be high-tech and have sensors and communications features so that they can be incorporated in various situations, ranging from monitoring buildings for leaking pipes to detecting dehydration in soldiers.

Governor Charlie Baker said the money will be used for purchasing the specialized equipment that is needed to develop materials that can be used in hybrid, flexible electronics. An additional $2 million will come from industry and the federal government to provide the resources so that these new technologies can run the phases of concept and design to making commercial products.

The university might benefit from the assistance of marketing services to promote the new venture and highlight its connection to the past when the mills of the city were its driving economic force to its future of being on the cutting edge of the industry.