UMass Lowell’s 84,000-square-foot, $80 million Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center (ETIC) officially opened its doors at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 11, 2012. The state-of-the-art facility is home to cutting-edge research in nanotechnology, molecular biology, plastics engineering and optics that will advance fields such as life sciences, energy, national security, environmental protection and more. The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center awarded a $10-million grant to help fund the ETIC’s equipment.