UMass Amherst Will Lead Major Federal Initiative in New England to Boost Innovation in Advanced Manufacturing

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) today named the University of Massachusetts Amherst as the lead institution in New England for its national Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Manufacturing Innovation Institute, a $75 million federal initiative to create a competitive, effective and sustainable research-to-manufacturing collaboration between U.S. industry and academia to solve problems in advanced manufacturing.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts played a major role in the successful proposal, pledging matching funds to support specific projects as they earn federal monies. UMass officials estimate first-year federal funding to be about $5 million, with a total of $40 million to $50 million invested in the project’s New England node from combined federal, state and private sources over five years. UMass Amherst will anchor the regional initiative, joined by academic partners MIT, UMass Lowell, Harvard and Northeastern University and partners in private industry.

“Leveraging Massachusetts’ incredible research universities to produce revolutionary flexible manufacturing breakthroughs will help provide cutting-edge technology for our troops, and a foundation for advanced manufacturing growth in the Commonwealth,” said Gov. Charlie Baker. “This partnership showcases the strength of our manufacturing sector, the unique assets at UMass Amherst, and the depth of expertise in our world-class educational institutions. I look forward to working with UMass, MIT, Harvard, Northeastern, and the Department of Defense as we continue to push the limits of technology, and build a platform for economic growth across the Commonwealth.”

Read the full article by Ed Blaguszewski: UMass News & Media Relations