Draper celebrated the official opening of its newest office, located on the UMass Lowell campus, with an open house on April 8, 2025.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 10, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Draper officially opened its newest corporate campus at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. To celebrate, Draper hosted an Open House on April 8, 2025, at its offices in the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor (LINC).
“Success happens at the crossroads of innovation and partnerships between academia, and we continue to drive innovation through our university partnerships across the country and now at the University of Massachusetts Lowell campus,” said Draper President and CEO Jerry Wohletz.
Speakers at the open house included Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts Kim Driscoll, UMass President Marty Meehan, UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen, Lowell Mayor Daniel P. Rourke, and Massachusetts State Representative Tara Hong. Draper was represented by President and CEO Jerry Wohletz, Ph.D., and Sarah Leeper, Vice President and General Manager of Electronic Systems. The open house also featured presentations of recent work by Draper research teams.
Draper is an anchor tenant in LINC, a transformative 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.
“When leading companies like Draper partner with top-tier public research universities like UMass Lowell, it creates powerful momentum for innovation, workforce development and regional growth,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “This is exactly the kind of collaboration our administration is proud to support — partnerships that fuel economic development, build a strong talent pipeline, and create long-term opportunity for communities across Massachusetts.”
The campus, announced in 2024, supports Draper’s Electronic Systems business, which focuses on specialized microelectronics for the military, critical infrastructure, and space exploration markets. It also significantly expands Draper’s ability to design and deliver specialized, secure, and environmentally resilient microelectronics and support the nation’s industrial base. And Draper is working closely with the university to develop the next generation of engineers, scientists, and technicians to grow the microelectronics workforce in Massachusetts.
“Draper has long embraced its roots in educating the future since our origins as the MIT Instrumentation Lab, and we carry that tradition forward with our mission focus on education,” said Wohletz. “Success happens at the crossroads of innovation and partnerships between academia. This model has worked well for over 90 years, and we continue to drive innovation through our university partnerships across the country and now at the University of Massachusetts Lowell campus. Draper is here to help with mentorships, prototype testing and development, and opportunities for customer collaborations that result in fielded and deployed solutions.”
Leeper added, “The opening of this campus is the first step in expanding our capabilities in Lowell. Over the next several years, Draper plans to develop a microelectronics production assembly and test facility to meet the increasing demands from our customers. This is instrumental in guaranteeing the onshore manufacturing capability required to deliver solutions that address our national security needs. At the same time, the project will serve as an engine for economic growth and employment here in Massachusetts.”
Draper is committed to enhancing the U.S.-based microelectronics ecosystem. As a member of the Microelectronics Commons, Draper is part of a network of regional technology hubs acting on a shared mission: to expand the nation’s global leadership in microelectronics. The Microelectronics Commons program is accelerating domestic prototyping and growing a pipeline of U.S.-based semiconductor talent.
The new Draper campus is in the Wannalancit Building at 600 Suffolk Street, Suite 301, Lowell, Massachusetts. Draper has appointed Colleen Anderson, Director of Tailored Microelectronic Systems, to lead the UMass Lowell campus expansion.
“This partnership with Draper strengthens Massachusetts’ innovation economy, expands opportunities for students and drives long-term growth for the entire region,” said UMass President Marty Meehan. “It is exciting to see the vision we had for the LINC project coming to fruition after many years of laying the groundwork to create a bustling business innovation center in downtown Lowell that is projected to generate $3.7 billion in economic activity and create 2,000 permanent jobs over the next decade.”
“We’re excited to grow our partnership with Draper as they help advance the vision of the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor,” said UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen. “Their commitment to collaboration and cutting-edge technology opens incredible opportunities for our students to gain real-world experience, contribute to meaningful research, and build careers in high-demand fields. This partnership reflects what’s possible when industry and public universities work together.”
This is Draper’s 12th campus, which include: Cambridge, Massachusetts; Cape Canaveral, Florida; Houston, Texas; Huntsville, Alabama; Lowell, Massachusetts; Odon, Indiana; Pittsfield, Massachusetts; Reston, Virginia.; Clearfield, Utah; Titusville, Florida; Washington, D.C., and two locations in St. Petersburg, Florida.
About Draper
Draper is a non-profit research and development company that solves some of the nation’s most important challenges. With more than 2,000 employees working in collaboration across 12 campuses, 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 http://www.draper.com.
About UMass Lowell
A nationally ranked public university, UMass Lowell has been a leader in research, learning and teaching for more than 130 years. The Carnegie-classified Research 1 university located in the heart of a Massachusetts Gateway City offers high quality in-person and online programs, as well as unique career-connected learning experiences, to more than 17,000 students from 50 states and 114 countries. Learn more at http://www.uml.edu.
Media Contact
Michael Shirer, Draper, 617-258-2464, mshirer@draper.com, https://www.draper.com
Brooke Coupal, UMass Lowell, 978-934-3424, brooke_coupal@uml.edu, https://www.uml.edu
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