Science, Technology, Engineering & Math | News

Raytheon, UMass Lowell Establish New Research Institute

• By Michael Hart
• 08/12/14

Raytheon will contribute $3 million and perhaps as much as $5 million over the next 10 years to establish a new research facility at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

What will be called the Raytheon-UMass Lowell Research Institute will allow UMass Lowell faculty and students to collaborate with Raytheon employees on research. The initial focus will be on future technologies for radar and communications systems, leveraging the university's strengths in printed electronics and nanotechnology, which coincides with Raytheon's strategic interest in high-frequency printed conformal antennas, carbon-based transistors and photonic devices. In the future, the focus may expand into other areas as needed.

The new Raytheon-UMass Lowell Research Institute will be housed in the Mark and Elisia Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center.

UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan said both the university and the company will benefit as they together pursue federal research funding. It will serve as well as an opportunity for students to participate in high-level research projects and possibly offer access to career opportunities with Raytheon.

"This institute will provide our students with the kind of real-world experience that is a hallmark of a UMass Lowell education," Meehan said. "It is just one example of how UMass Lowell is leading the way in collaborating with industry to power innovation."

At the same time, said Mark E. Russell, Raytheon vice president of engineering, technology and mission assurance, "The institute will serve as an extension of our current research capabilities and represents a resource across the Raytheon enterprise for the study of advanced materials and flexible circuit technologies."

The research institute will be located on the fourth floor of the Mark and Elisia Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center, an 84,000-square-foot building on the campus that already houses research labs and classrooms in the science and engineering disciplines.

Raytheon's corporate headquarters are in Waltham, MA, about 20 miles from the university in Lowell.

The institute will be codirected by Christopher McCarroll of Raytheon and UMass Lowell Professor Craig Armiento.