Over the past several years, the Berkshire Innovation Center (BIC) has grown from a promising idea into a practical platform for workforce development, applied technology, and industry collaboration. We have trained incumbent workers through our Manufacturing Academy, supported the development of dynamic startups, and built durable partnerships with employers, educators, and research institutions across Massachusetts. What we are now working toward represents the next stage of our evolution:...

When we opened the Berkshire Innovation Center in February 2020, our mission was straightforward: give the region’s manufacturers, engineers, technologists, and educators a shared home. At the time, advanced manufacturing and technology already played an important role in our region’s economy, but we lacked a central place to bring people together, share equipment, and run high-level training programs. The building and our organization filled that gap. Five years later, that foundation is...

When we talk about the Berkshire Innovation Center’s motto—”Do More Together”—we often mean collaboration between institutions, companies, and educators.  The truth is, there are certain individuals that embody that spirit all on their own.  One such person is Rich Peters—a former long-haul truck driver turned chief scientist, now retired but busier than ever. Today, he’s one of our most dedicated instructors, teaching in both the BIC Manufacturing Academy’s STAT Program and the MIT Tech AMP...