Draper Receives $25 Million in State and Local Funding for Construction of Its New IMPACT Center in Lowell

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey today announced up to $25 million in state and local funding in partnership with the City of Lowell to help fund the construction of Draper's Integrated Microelectronics Production & Advanced Chip Technology (IMPACT) Center in Lowell. The announcement is part of an initiative by the Healey-Driscoll Administration to more fully support the defense sector in the Commonwealth.

The IMPACT Center will be a 75,000 square foot building located in the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor (LINC). The IMPACT Center will house advanced microelectronic design, production, and packaging facilities that will deliver cutting-edge technology to Draper's U.S. Military, Aerospace, and Government (USMAG) customers. Additionally, the Center will create more than 150 new highly skilled, classified national security jobs, including technicians, advanced degree engineers, and business executives.

"Massachusetts is proud of our defense leadership – we are the birthplace of the National Guard, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard, and we've carried that legacy of innovation and service forward for generations," said Governor Maura Healey. "We are proud to support Draper's efforts to strengthen this leadership by establishing the IMPACT Center, which will create good jobs, grow our economy and bolster our national security in partnership with UMass Lowell and the City of Lowell."

"Today's investment reflects Governor Healey's ongoing commitment to the needs of the nation's defense sector. The IMPACT Center will significantly expand the nation's secure, on-shore microelectronics production capacity and deliver new capabilities to our military," said Jerry Wohletz, Ph.D., President and CEO of Draper. "The facility will also strengthen the Commonwealth's manufacturing base and create new jobs for a highly skilled workforce, educated and trained in our local universities, colleges, and trade schools. We are grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration, the Commonwealth, and our partners in state and federal government for supporting our vision of what can be accomplished by this investment."

The IMPACT Center is a key part of Draper's partnership with the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML), the University of Massachusetts Building Authority, the City of Lowell, and the Commonwealth to bolster national security, drive economic growth, and position Massachusetts as a leader in advanced microelectronics manufacturing. Draper plans to provide up to $10 million in programming, research, and educational resources to UML over the coming decade.

Earlier this year, Draper opened its newest corporate campus at UML as an anchor tenant in LINC. LINC is a 1.2 million square foot mixed use development set to foster a thriving innovation ecosystem that will transform the city's economic future. LINC is a public-private development project made possible by the leadership of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the University of Massachusetts Building Authority (UMBA), and the City of Lowell, with significant support from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

About Draper

Draper is a non-profit research, development, and manufacturing company that solves some of the nation's most important challenges. With more than 2,500 employees working in collaboration across 12 locations, Draper delivers transformative, mission-driven solutions that successfully meet our customers' requirements. These efforts focus on four critical mission areas: Strategic Systems, Space Systems, Electronic Systems, and Biotechnology Systems. To extend our legacy into the future, the Draper Scholars program engages with the next generation of innovators while DraperSPARX™ seeks to partner with startups and small businesses that can further our mission. To learn more about Draper, visit www.draper.com.

SOURCE Draper Laboratory