BIC Sees $5.2M State Investment for Tech Hub

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
03:41PM / Saturday, November 08, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Innovation Center's plans for an optics tech hub have been boosted by $5.2 million from the state.

On Thursday, the Healey-Driscoll administration and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's Innovation Institute announced over $16.3 million in funding and designated 14 state regions as "TechHubs" through the Massachusetts (MA) TechHubs Program. The awards were announced at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

The BIC received a $5.2 million transformation grant — the largest allocation — for an Advanced Optics TechHub within the William Stanley Business Park. The innovation center, established in 2020, is looking to add a 7,000-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing for Advanced Optics Tech Hub to its 23,500-square-foot floor plan.

Business Development Manager Michael Coakley said this is wonderful news for Pittsfield.

"The City has been working with Myrias Optics, an advanced optics manufacturer, and EMA [Electro Magnetic Applications] to be the anchor companies for the hub," he reported.

"The goal for the tech hub is to make Pittsfield the national leader in the testing and manufacturing of advanced optics."

Mayor Peter Marchetti has proposed $1 million in Pittsfield Economic Development Funds to assist the

BIC with this expansion and for Myrias Optics to establish a manufacturing laboratory at the

BIC as part of the TechHub, which is currently being considered by the Pittsfield City Council.

"The AMAO TechHub places Pittsfield at the forefront of advanced manufacturing," said the mayor in a statement. "The combination of state and local resources for the TechHub will create more job opportunities while we support entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses in this community. I continue to appreciate the investments made in Pittsfield by the Healey-Driscoll administration, Rep. [Tricia] Farley-Bouvier and Sen. [Paul] Mark."

The AMAO Tech Hub is poised to bring more than 60 new, high-quality manufacturing jobs to Pittsfield. The project would allow Myrias to relocate to Pittsfield, create over 50 new job opportunities, and invest $10 million into its work in the region. EMA would be able to continue expanding in Pittsfield, adding a dozen jobs over the next two years.

Through partnership with the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, this project is hoped to extend its reach beyond Pittsfield, creating bridges to other regions of the state and investing in the next generation of industry leaders.

The state's press release said this will also facilitate collaboration along the Boston-Rochester optics corridor, develop a pipeline of talent for advanced optics manufacturing, and facilitate the growth of startups, including Myrias Optics and Electro Magnetic Applications.

"Massachusetts has always led through innovation, not just in our labs and universities, but through the strength and creativity of our people," Gov. Maura Healey said in the press release.

"The TechHubs Program reflects our belief that every region should have the opportunity to shape the future of technology and to share in the prosperity it brings."

The BIC is seeking $500,000 to expand, and Myrias Optics Inc. is seeking $500,000 to establish the manufacturing laboratory at the BIC. Both requests were referred to the Community and Economic Development subcommittee, which will meet on Monday, Nov. 10.

Funds would go toward a specialized nanoimprint lithography (NIL) lab to support the Massachusetts-based photonics company that is currently reliant on space in Austria.

Myrias Optics was born out of the UMass Amherst, and this facility is expected to "dramatically" advance the company's commercialization goals. The manufacturing lab would be modeled after the Austria facility and house NIL tooling, process engineering, and metrology operations.

By 2028, the company plans to expand from 10 to 55 employees with an average annual salary between $112,000 $127,000, and the annual revenue growth from $1 million to $33 .7 million.

The BIC has more than 50 members and 14 academic partners. It has recruited and supported Pittsfield startups through the Stage 2 Accelerator Program tailored for hard tech ventures transitioning from prototype to commercialization. This program provides mentorship and facilities, as well as connections and funding pathways.

"As the BIC continues to drive this growth, it has observed a clear shift in regional needs— from basic capacity-building to advanced research, development, and commercialization," the funding ask reads.

"Today, the demand for lab space, prototyping tools, and startup support significantly exceeds available resources."

The BIC currently has an advanced optics lab in partnership with EMA and UMass Amherst. In 2019, Pittsfield gave EMA $140,000 in economic development funds towards the purchase of a space environment testing chamber and a tax agreement that will curb the taxes EMA pays to the city from fiscal 2020 to fiscal 2026.

"This funding is a big step forward in enabling the Berkshire Innovation Center and the City of

Pittsfield to plant a mustard seed into soil that has been cultivated at the BIC allowing for the next

critical step in the community’s economic revitalization and into the future," said Farley-Bouvier.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute also received $5.2 million for a Bioindustrial Manufacturing TechHub. These grants are said to support regions ready to "execute large-scale projects that enhance innovation infrastructure, promote the development of local high-growth scaling companies, catalyze technology commercialization, and foster workforce development with up to $5 million in capital funds over a period of up to three years."

Tags: BIC, manufacturing, state grant, technology,

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Pittsfield School Committee Appoints Latifah Phillips as Permanent Superintendent

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
10:39AM / Thursday, June 25, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee enthusiastically voted to hire Latifah Phillips as the permanent superintendent on Wednesday.

Appointed as the interim last spring, Phillips is said to have brought meaningful initiatives centered on student outcomes to the Pittsfield Public Schools in a short period of time. Her hire is pending a successful contract negotiation.

"We've had a lot of really difficult decisions since January, and I think this one is easy," committee member Heather McNeice said.

There was applause from attendees after the vote.

Three options were listed on the agenda: Hire Phillips, conduct a search and allow Phillips to apply, or conduct a search not allowing Phillips to apply based on the interim search. Committee member Sarah Muil made the motion to hire Phillips, explaining that from her first conversations with the educational leader, she has felt like Phillips was at home.

"She has always been unwavering, and everything that she's done, she's always kept a calm and steady way of talking through every situation with families, with staff members, with us," Muil said.

"I feel as though I'm growing up with her in some way through this experience, because she is showing us what a leader truly can be when you allow them to be in the role that they should be in."

Phillips, who joined the meeting virtually, said this is one of the most significant moments in her life and career, and that serving PPS during this interim year has reinforced her belief in restraint, resilience, and potential with students, staff, families, and the community.

She said she looks forward to advancing the district’s shared vision and ensuring that every decision is centered on the success and well-being of students.

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