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NIST in Massachusetts
$180M
in recent and planned financial awards from NIST to organizations in the state of Massachusetts since 2021
NIST Supports Key Sectors in Massachusetts
Biotechnology, life sciences and health care
- In FY 2024, NIST awarded Northeastern University nearly $1 million for state-of-the-art laboratory equipment for its Nubian Square Life Sciences Community Laboratory. Additional awards in FY 2023 and FY 2024 totaling more than $1 million support a variety of organizations and projects including curricula for standards in regenerative medicine, bioreactor monitoring for the biopharmaceutical industry, educational materials about biomes, and river water monitoring.
- NIST reference materials help the biotechnology sector innovate more quickly with quantitative analytical measurement tools for nucleic acids, proteins, metabolites and cell systems so that manufacturers and clinical test labs can monitor and improve methods and products.
- NIST’s calibration laboratory for mammographic X-rays helps to ensure that patients receive the appropriate X-ray exposures, which means fewer repeat tests and lower radiation doses. NIST provides accurate references and a biennial proficiency testing program for mammography inspectors to ensure that they have the tools they need to support accurate diagnoses and minimize radiation exposure for everyone receiving a mammogram.
- NIST’s Mass Spectrometry Data Center data libraries speed molecule identification and quality control for biomedical and biofuels research. This data is so widely trusted that it is packaged with nearly every mass spectrometer sold.
- NIST’s guidance on temperature control for vaccine storage has reduced waste by 30%, so more doses are available for more people. NIST’s calibration materials for magnetic resonance imaging help medical researchers develop quantitative tests that can rapidly determine if treatments for glioblastoma and other cancers are working, speeding clinical decisions.
Advanced manufacturing
- NIST’s CHIPS for America program is growing the semiconductor industry in Massachusetts with a planned $175 million in awards to ADI in Chelmsford and MACOM in Lowell.
- Massachusetts manufacturers rely on NIST products and services to check the purity of materials and gases, the efficiency of production processes, and the quality of products made with advanced manufacturing methods. For example, our Nanofabrication Facility gives researchers from industry and academia access to state-of-the-art fabrication and measurement tools with applications to nanoelectronics, photonics, microelectromechanical systems and nanobiotechnology.
- The NIST ThermoData Engine is used by chemical companies around the world. It provides thermophysical properties for industrially important fluids and fluid mixtures so that chemical plants can optimize production processes through computer modeling, without running expensive full-size experiments.
- Since FY 2020, MassMEP, part of the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership, has received over $14 million in federal funds from NIST, with over $17 million matched in nonfederal funds, to fuel the success of small and midsized manufacturing businesses in Massachusetts with consulting services, applied learning programs and other solutions.
MassMEP identified an ideal training platform to help Tegra Medical, a Franklin manufacturer of medical instruments, accelerate skill development for current and new employees. Courses including precision machining have resulted in a 10% to 20% increase in production efficiency.
Cybersecurity and IT
- NIST supports the sector with highly regarded standards and guidelines that are adopted by every industry and civilian federal agency. NIST’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence collaborates with financial services industry experts and technology vendors on best practices and standards that mitigate cybersecurity and privacy risks.
- NIST’s NICE program advances cybersecurity education, training and workforce development to increase the number of skilled cybersecurity professionals working in Massachusetts. In 2024, NICE awarded nearly $200,000 to WeReach in Boston to prepare students for high-paying jobs in the sector, which has thousands of open positions.
- NIST’s post-quantum cryptography standards are designed to withstand the attack of a future quantum computer. They can secure a wide range of electronic information, from confidential email messages to e-commerce transactions.
Public safety, health and resilience
- In 2024, NIST awarded $1 million to the Atlantic Resiliency Foundation for a technology incubator and workforce development program focused on coastal defenses.
- In 2022, NIST awarded the University of Massachusetts Amherst with nearly $400,000 to study how concrete structural components fortified with fiber-reinforced polymer respond to earthquakes.
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute received nearly $400,000 from NIST to investigate how embers are carried through the air, informing practices to mitigate the effects of wildfires.
- From 2012 to 2022, the NIST Public Safety Communications Research Division granted $3.3 million through prize challenges, grants and internal research projects for Massachusetts companies and universities to increase the safety of first responders and their communities. This investment resulted in:
$7M
in economic activity
$5.2M
in household earnings
63
jobs
CHIPS Funding
MEP Success Stories
News & Updates
Learn how NIST improves the lives of all Americans by conducting research and fostering collaborations that make possible everything from reliable vaccine storage and fair fuel transactions to next-generation MRIs and fair stock trades. Check out NIST Works for You.
