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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Lanesborough Selects Assistant Building Inspector

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
12:16PM / Saturday, February 28, 2026

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. –— The Select Board appointed an assisting building director on Wednesday.

Tim Sears submitted his resume to the board and said he heard about the position and reached out to Building Commissioner Brian Duval.

"It can be a tough position. And if you followed recent activities here in Lanesborough, I'm not stating the obvious, but can you talk a little bit about because you've done the work before, right?" asked member Michael Murphy.

Sears started as a housing inspector in Pittsfield and then became building commissioner there and a health official. He was also director of buildings and grounds for the Mount Greylock Regional School District. He currently works at AC Wood Contracting.

"I've had a lot of experience, and as someone who's in the construction industry, also, it can be challenging. If Brian knows someone, or if I know someone you know, we have to excuse ourselves and be very forthright about that," he said. "But in the end, the building code is a little different from some of the other code enforcement and law enforcement, where we have to be able to write down what the violation is, so it either is or isn't. You can't really, oppress someone because you need to write it down. You have to cite the code. So I think it's just very black and white.

"The challenge can sometimes be, you know, if a town feels a certain way about certain subjects, then my attitude has always been to look through the code to try to find a way to make something happen."

Sears said he has already talked with the owner of AC Wood Contracting and would be available to do an inspection during the day if needed.

The board moved to appoint Sears as the assistant building inspector.

In other notes, Town Administrator Gina Dario reminded the board of the joint meetings with the Finance Committee, which is something they are doing for the first time. Department heads will be invited to the meetings to go over their budget proposals to keep residents as informed as possible before the annual town meeting.

Monday, March 2, is the first joint meeting.

"We're always just trying to be as transparent as we can as we go through this kind of the crux of the budget season for the next three months, as we approach town meeting," Dario said.

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