STEVE LeBLANC, Associated Press
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Massachusetts has been chosen to host a $317 million futuristic textiles manufacturing center with a goal of developing cutting-edge fabrics with a range of unusual properties, from being incredibly lightweight and flame-resistant to exceptionally strong or containing electronic sensors.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter joined Gov. Charlie Baker and other state leaders on Friday in announcing the first-in-the-nation Revolutionary Fiber and Textile Manufacturing Innovation Institute, based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.
Carter said the fabrics can have a range of practical applications from providing gear to protect firefighters from the hottest flames to weaving the sensing capabilities of a smart watch into a lightweight fabric.
The innovations could even create fabrics that could help detect when a wounded soldier needs to be treated with an antimicrobial compression bandage.
Massachusetts has pledged $40 million in matching funds to support capital projects at the facility.
“Fibers and fabrics are among the earliest forms of human expression, yet have changed very little over the course of history,” said Yoel Fink, director of the MIT-based Advanced Functional Fabrics of America. “All this is about to change as functional fiber and yarn technologies meet traditional textile production and yield new products by design.”
Other participants in the project include the University of Massachusetts, Quinsigamond Community College, and several private companies, Baker said.
UMass will offer its technical expertise in flexible electronics and wearable technologies, and Quinsigamond’s role will be to support education and training of a skilled workforce in advanced textiles manufacturing.
U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy, who helped rally support for the Massachusetts bid, said new fabrics are modernizing everything from battlefield communication to medical care.
Kennedy also said the initiative helps combine two of the state’s economic strengths — the legacy of the old mill towns that were once the backbone of the state’s textiles economy and the brainpower that has helped fuel much of its 21st century growth.
“From Lowell to Fall River, our ability to merge cutting-edge technology with age-old ingenuity has sparked a new day for the textile industry,” Kennedy said in a statement.
“Massachusetts’s innovation ecosystem is reshaping the way that people interact with the world around them,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “This manufacturing innovation institute will be the national leader in developing and commercializing textiles with extraordinary properties. It will extend our ongoing efforts to nurture emerging industries, and grow them to scale in Massachusetts to an exciting new field. And it will serve as a vital piece of innovation infrastructure, to support the development of the next generation of manufacturing technology, and the development of a highly skilled workforce.”
“Through this manufacturing innovation institute, Massachusetts researchers and Massachusetts employers will collaborate to unlock new advances in military technology, medical care, wearable technology, and fashion,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “This, in turn, will help drive business expansion, support the competitiveness of local manufacturers, and create new employment opportunities for residents across the Commonwealth.”
“The combination of public and private institutions leading this effort only reinforces Massachusetts as a national leader in innovation and education,” said Senate President Stan Rosenberg. “This innovation institute will grow our advanced manufacturing sector across the entire state while investing in emerging technology to grow jobs and businesses for our workforce.”
“I am incredibly proud of the House’s longstanding investments in manufacturing which I believe have helped make Massachusetts is a national leader in this dynamic sector,” said House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo. “The manufacturing industry will be a driver in employing residents of all skillsets, bringing together innovation industries with more traditional sectors, and spreading prosperity to all corners of the Commonwealth. I congratulate MIT, UMass and Quinsigamond Community College. I look forward to working with the Baker and Obama Administrations as we experience the incredible potential of this partnership.”
Well-paid advanced manufacturing jobs support residents and their families, while ensuring that Massachusetts remains on the cutting edge of technological growth,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash. “Our support for workforce development across the Commonwealth, coupled with the investments we are making in a range of emerging technologies, will help Massachusetts remain on the forefront of advanced manufacturing, while providing employment opportunities for hard-working residents. By supporting the development and commercialization of emerging technologies, and developing cutting-edge workforce training programs in these new manufacturing technologies, we are equipping residents across Massachusetts with the knowledge and skills to manufacture products that can only be made in Massachusetts.”
“Advanced manufacturers find growth opportunities in the Commonwealth, and it continues to be one of our growing employment sectors,” said Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Ronald L. Walker, II. “We in the Baker-Polito administration are very aware that if advanced manufacturers are going to continue to expand in Massachusetts, they will need to be able to employ talented workers who have the skills they require. Therefore, we are focused on making sure education, economic development and the workforce system are in sync to meet employers needs so advanced manufacturers can continue to innovate, and strengthen the economy in the Commonwealth.”
“We are proud that MIT, the University of Massachusetts, and Quinsigamond Community College will be leading the nation’s first Revolutionary Fiber and Textile Manufacturing Innovation Institute,” said Education Secretary Jim Peyser. “This public-private partnership will help Massachusetts lead the way in a key emerging manufacturing field, and strengthen the important pipeline connecting education to industry.”
“Since 1821, when one of the first manufacturing mills in the United States was built in Waltham, Massachusetts has led our nation and the world in advancements in manufacturing and technology,” said Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. “Today, the looms of Lowell have given way to the labs of Cambridge and this new institute will help ensure that both Massachusetts and the United States expand our technological edge in a new generation of fiber science. I thank MIT President Reif and Professor Fink for their efforts to realize the vision for the future of education at MIT and around the world and Secretary Carter for his commitment to maintaining our nation’s technological leadership through our military and defense operations.”
