BOSTON - May 21, 2020 —Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced more than $9.5 million in grants to boost production of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other critical materials needed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Reopening Massachusetts plan. The new awards were made through the Manufacturing Emergency Response Team (M-ERT) to 15 grantees, including Massachusetts manufacturers, that are producing needed items such as masks, gowns, ventilators, swabs, and testing materials, and the capacity to test them.
WESTBOROUGH – In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) at the MassTech Collaborative and KCST USA, the operator of the Commonwealth-owned MassBroadband 123 fiber optic network, are working with local internet service providers (ISPs) to offer new Wifi hotspots to municipalities that lack broadband access. Built off of the MassBroadband 123 network, this new service offers each unserved community a temporary 250 Megabit per second wireless hotspot, free of any monthly charge. This will allow unserved communities that do not have a completed broadband project to increase wireless broadband access for residents and students impacted by COVID-19 restrictions.
PRINCETON – Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito today joined executives from Charter Communications, Inc., Princeton town officials and residents, state and federal officials, and executives from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) at MassTech Collaborative to celebrate the impact of the town’s new Charter-constructed broadband network. During a roundtable discussion with local leaders and residents, Governor Baker and Lt. Governor Polito heard about the impact that the increased internet connectivity is having on the community, including improvements for small business owners, public safety, and education.
SPRINGFIELD — Today, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito joined Assistant Secretary of Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship for the Commonwealth Damon Cox, MassTech Executive Director Carolyn Kirk, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Senator Eric Lesser, Representative and Chair of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus (MBLLC) Carlos González, and other state and local leaders to announce the inaugural grant recipients from the Tech Talent Diversity Initiative, an effort aimed at boosting diversity in the Commonwealth’s technology and innovation sectors. The two competitive grants, totaling $469,234, were awarded to Tech Foundry of Springfield and to the New England Venture Capital Association’s Hack.Diversity program based in Boston, both of which are programs with track records of success in training and advancing diverse candidates into technology jobs.
WORCESTER – January 14, 2020 – Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy and Worcester Polytechnic Institute President Laurie Leshin joined leaders from across Central Massachusetts and the healthcare technology community to officially open the new PracticePoint facility at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). The new research and development facility is located at WPI’s Gateway Park. Today’s event included a ribbon cutting, tours of the four innovative healthcare test beds housed in the facility and an industry-focused panel featuring companies that are members of the new center.
BRIDGEWATER — Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced two new grants totaling over $5.2 million from the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative (M2I2) to support the development of new advanced manufacturing technologies across the state. Lt. Governor Karyn Polito announced the new funding at an event hosted at the Dana Mohler-Faria Science and Mathematics Center at Bridgewater State University, which, along with partner Stonehill College, will host some of the new M2I2 program-funded infrastructure. The Lt. Governor also announced a grant to Human Systems Integration, Inc., of Walpole, to support its collaboration with UMass Lowell to evolve its garment-embedded physiological monitoring platform.
WORCESTER – Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced four new grants worth $892,699 from the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative (M2I2) to invest in innovative advanced manufacturing projects across the state. Lt. Governor Karyn Polito was joined by Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy to announce the awards at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), which was awarded funds for a robotics training program for kids. Three collaborative projects led by research teams at University of Massachusetts Lowell also received grant funding.
WORCESTER — Governor Baker today announced a new grant program as part of the Administration’s Digital Health Initiative that will provide $500,000 in funding to open doors for healthcare technology startups to access research and development “sandboxes.” Governor Baker made the announcement during a visit with Digital Health Council members at WPI’s PracticePoint, one of the facilities supported by the program, where healthcare startups will be able to test existing technologies and develop new products and services.
BOSTON – February 6, 2019 – Today, the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative voted Carolyn Kirk as the agency’s new executive director, effective February 11, 2019. Kirk is currently the Deputy Secretary for Housing and Economic Development, a position she has held since her appointment by Governor Baker in January 2015. She has also been serving as the MassTech Interim Executive Director since June 2018.
MARLBOROUGH – January 17, 2019 – Today, Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito joined Marlborough Mayor Arthur G. Vigeant and Representative Carmine L. Gentile to announce $3.7 million in new grants from the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative (M2I2), the Commonwealth’s program to invest in innovative advanced manufacturing projects. The Lt. Governor announced three awards that involve partners and project sites across the Commonwealth, including MetroWest, Merrimack Valley, South Coast, North Shore, and Western Massachusetts, highlighting the statewide impact of advanced manufacturing.
