The news we reported Monday regarding the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor became an even bigger deal yesterday, when more details were revealed about newest partner and the size and scope of their operations.
UMass Lowell and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), a global leader in technology integration, have signed an agreement to establish a cyber center that will strengthen the resilience of the defense industrial base and expand the pipeline of skilled cyber professionals across the region.
The UML Cyber Center will be located within the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor (LINC), the transformative public-private partnership unveiled earlier this year.
SAIC, a Fortune 500® technology integrator headquartered in Reston, Virginia, boasts a workforce of approximately 24,000 people with annual revenues of approximately $7.4 billion.
SAIC’s initial $1.3 million contribution will create an anticipated 30 jobs and increase access to state-of-the-art cyber research and services for local and regional businesses and nonprofits and train the future STEM workforce through paid internships, job fairs, and training programs in collaboration with Middlesex Community College and local high schools.
“We know that cyber industry is ever evolving, and to keep up with the rapidly changing environment, we need to ensure we have skilled and trained workforce at the helm,” said Governor Maura Healey. “That’s why our administration has expanded our state’s workforce training programs, invested in four cybersecurity ranges in partnership with our institutions of higher education and signed the FutureTech Act into law — because we know how important it is to be a leader in this space. This new partnership between UMass Lowell and SAIC is another exciting example of how Massachusetts continues to champion innovative cyber technology and how we contribute to our national defense.”
“Our administration has been laser-focused on competing for our nation’s leading companies to grow here in Massachusetts, and on providing opportunities to advance and grow our state’s workforce,” added Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “This partnership prioritizes our state’s innovation economy while also ensuring we’re setting our state, and our country, up for a safer cyber future.”
UMass Lowell’s Cybersecurity Studies Program is designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security.
“UMass Lowell appreciates the ever-evolving relationship between national security and cyber readiness, and the importance of advancing research into relevant cyber infrastructure,” said UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen. “Partnering with SAIC gives students, professors, and regional industry partners alike the opportunity to better understand the associated challenges within this relationship, and to better posture for problems and opportunities as they arise in the future.”
“The SAIC partnership and creation of a Cyber Center is great news for UMass Lowell and the city of Lowell,” said UMass President Marty Meehan. “These developments promise new knowledge and technological advances in a critically important field. At the same time, this collaboration will produce an important pipeline of talent as we develop the workforce urgently needed to join the work of securing our networks and information infrastructure and ensuring their resilience into the future.”
The new cyber center will extend SAIC’s footprint beyond UMass Lowell’s Applied Research Corporation at Hanscom Air Force Base. The center will provide direct support to the Air Force’s strategic initiatives in the areas of Command, Control, Communications, and Battle Management; Cyber; Electronic Warfare; Information Systems; and Enterprise Digital Infrastructure.
“Establishing this center builds on the success we’ve shared with the University of Massachusetts Lowell in implementing a student internship program at Hanscom Air Force Base focused on the DOD’s critical Cloud One platform,” said SAIC CEO Toni Townes-Whitley. “This expanded partnership will help build the future cyber workforce and ensure a stream of high demand talent for the nation, as well as Hanscom’s many critical programs that directly impact U.S. and global security.”
Under the Notice of Intent, which was signed at the UMass Club on Dec. 11, the university and SAIC have also agreed to advance post-graduate employment opportunities for students and to reskill or upskill current personnel at Hanscom Air Force Base and at local defense companies.
In addition, the agreement calls for collaboration with other state and federal enforcement agencies, including the Massachusetts State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Additional Official Praise Partnership
U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan: “We’re thrilled to welcome SAIC to Lowell and even more excited about the jobs and opportunity this will mean for the people of the Merrimack Valley. The Cyber Center of Excellence puts Lowell at the center of important research and innovation that helps secure our country and support our military, while training skilled professionals who are ready to work in this growing economic sector. This is just the latest piece of a multibillion-dollar economic and jobs boom driven by the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor that is transforming the Mill City.”
Lowell City Manager Tom Golden: “It’s a great day in Lowell as we welcome SAIC and celebrate the collaboration with UMass Lowell to create a world-class cyber-research facility. The jobs and economic activity that come with SAIC will benefit all residents of Lowell, as we continue to build on the vision and potential of LINC and the Lowell Transformative Development Initiative.”
