03/01/2025
By Ed Brennen
The Lowell Innovation Network Corridor, or LINC, is a public-private venture that plans to add over 1 million square feet of new lab and office space, hundreds of units of housing, new retail and entertainment venues and thousands of jobs to the city. The ambitious plan promises to propel downtown Lowell into a bustling center of cutting-edge businesses and updated amenities for an expanded workforce.
The $800 million-plus project is being spearheaded by UMass Lowell,the UMass Building Authority and the city of Lowell, with significant support from Gov. Maura Healey’s administration and the state's federal delegation. Private developers GMH Communities and Wexford are partnering with the university on the development and have committed to investing about $600 million.
A cornerstone of the LINC development will be two new commercial buildings on East Campus. Though they aren’t projected to open until 2026-27, the development is already attracting a lot of attention from industry. Draper Laboratory and Mass General Brigham were early partners and have established locations on East Campus, with each planning to grow once the new buildings open.
Newer partners include organizations like Bioversity and Headlamp, both of which provide training and pathways to careers in the life sciences. Both companies have also opened office or lab space in campus, as part of LINC's "phase 0," and Headlamp is teaming with UML and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to create Vets-RISE to train veterans.
Another organization supporting veterans, Home Base, has also signed on to locate a division within LINC, where it will offer free mental health and wellness support. Home Base will also collaborate with UML on research.
At a kickoff event on campus in November, Retired Brig. Gen. Jack Hammond, executive director of Home Base, said that his team is particular when considering partners for the organization, which was founded by the Boston Red Sox organization and Massachusetts General Hospital in 2009.
“We’ve kissed some frogs,” he told the crowd. “We look for a ‘hell yeah,’ and when the chancellor came and visited, it was an immediate ‘hell yeah.’”