Healey-Driscoll Administration Invests $18 Million to Accelerate Climatetech Startups and Innovation

Funding will help local incubators, research institutes, and universities build shared facilities that accelerate the commercialization of emerging technologies

LOWELL, Mass. - The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced $18 million in awards to five organizations through the Testing and Demonstrations Assets (TDA) Program, a new initiative administered by the Mass Clean Energy Center (MassCEC). The awards are the first to be issued from climatetech funds established under the Mass Leads Act. The funding will support the construction and upgrade of shared equipment and infrastructure that enable climatetech startup companies and academic researchers to test, validate, and demonstrate their technologies in real-world settings, accelerating the path from lab to market.

"Massachusetts is building the climate economy of the future, and the Mass Leads Act was designed to help us stay competitive by investing in the industries and technologies that are going to create jobs and drive growth for decades to come," said Governor Maura Healey. "These investments will give startups, researchers, and entrepreneurs access to the tools and infrastructure they need to test new ideas, bring technologies to market faster, and grow their businesses here in Massachusetts. That means more innovation, more private investment, and more good-paying clean energy jobs across our state."

"Massachusetts has always led from the front when it comes to clean energy and climatetech innovation, and the TDA Program is the next chapter in that story," said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. "These awards put the Mass Leads Act funds to work in a direct and meaningful way, strengthening the infrastructure that gives our innovators a competitive edge."

Bringing a new technology to market is expensive and risky. Startups often lack access to the specialized equipment and testing environments needed to validate their innovations, slowing progress and driving them to seek resources elsewhere. The TDA program addresses this gap by funding Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) to build shared equipment and infrastructure that multiple companies and researchers can access. By pooling these resources, the program reduces costs, accelerates the path to commercialization, and helps keep Massachusetts-born innovation in-state.

"Breakthrough climatetech ideas depend on access to the right testing environments to reach the next stage," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. "This program expands that access and helps turn promising innovations into viable, market-ready solutions that attract further investment and growth here in Massachusetts."

"Massachusetts has the talent, research institutions, and entrepreneurial ecosystem to lead the global climatetech economy, but startups also need access to the infrastructure that helps move breakthrough ideas from the lab into the real world," said Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley. "These investments will help companies test and scale new technologies faster while strengthening Massachusetts' leadership in climatetech innovation."

"These awards reflect Massachusetts' continued commitment to strengthening the infrastructure that supports innovation, research, and technology deployment," said Undersecretary of Business Strategies Zenobia Moochhala. "Investments in shared testing and demonstration capabilities are essential to advancing climatetech innovation and reinforcing the Commonwealth's position as a global leader in the clean energy economy."

"What makes this effort so powerful is that it meets innovators where they are," said Mass Clean Energy Center CEO Ben Downing. "Too many Climatetech startups have cutting-edge ideas but lack access to the specialized equipment and infrastructure they need to advance their work. By investing in infrastructure statewide, we're lowering the cost and time it takes to move from an idea to impact-and that's how Massachusetts wins."

"As intended by our economic development bill, these innovative programs will advance Massachusetts' clean tech initiatives," said State Senator Barry Finegold, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development & Emerging Technologies (D-Andover). "With these grants, the Clean Energy Center is creating jobs and developing sustainable technologies, advancing Massachusetts' competitiveness and creating opportunities statewide."

The Testing and Demonstrations Assets program awardees are:

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute: $5,000,000

  • Funding will be used to create a shared "lab-to-pilot" facility supporting WPI's regeneration and recovery focus area of research, specifically carbon-sequestering materials and climatetech commercialization.

• Greentown Labs: $4,950,000

  • Funding will be used to develop the Greentown Commonwealth Electrons Lab (GCELL), a shared pilot-grade battery fabrication and testing facility supported by a statewide technician training program and a public digital backbone (GRID).

• Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute: $2,250,000

  • Funding will be used to develop the Climatetech Northern Node: a shared eDNA ocean sensing platform, a harborside demonstration space for bluetech startups, and a climate innovation hub on Gloucester's working waterfront.

• UMass Lowell: $4,100,000

  • Funding will be used to develop the Build Smart Massachusetts Housing Hub, a climate-resilient housing innovation zone with three assets: new-build construction and pilot sites, a home retrofit pilot site, and a dedicated incubator to accelerate housing- and building-tech startups and technology.

• The Engine: $1,690,000

  • Funding will be used to expand and modernize shared equipment for early-stage climatetech ventures, including electrolyzers, walk-in fume hoods, advanced 3D printers, upgraded thermal systems, and expanded prototyping capacity for new materials and material recovery technologies.

The initiative builds on MassCEC's Climatetech Economic Development Strategy and Implementation Plan, a roadmap to ensure that Massachusetts remains a global climatetech leader. The plan calls for strategic investments in testing and demonstration assets, physical and programmatic support for startups and researchers, and stronger coordination across the ecosystem.

For more information about the Climatetech Testing and Demonstration Assets program, visit masscec.com/program/climatetech-testing-and-demonstration-assets.

About the Mass Clean Energy Center

The Mass Clean Energy Center is a state economic development agency dedicated to accelerating the growth of the clean energy and climatetech sector across the Commonwealth to spur job creation, deliver statewide environmental benefits, increase affordability, and secure long-term economic opportunities for the people of Massachusetts. Since 2010, MassCEC has awarded $990 million in programs and investments and attracted $3 billion in private and public funds.

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