In 2014, Raytheon Company (Waltham, Mass.) and the University of Massachusetts Lowell (Lowell, Mass.) established a joint research facility focused on advancing innovative technologies with commercial potential. Research at the Raytheon–University of Massachusetts Lowell Research Institute (RURI) initially focuses on future technologies for radar and communication systems, although there is room for future expansion into additional areas.

As a corporate–academic entity, RURI merges UMass Lowell’s strengths in printed electronics and nanotechnology with Raytheon’s strategic technology needs, which include high-frequency printed conformal antennas, carbon-based transistors, and photonic devices.

RURI is located in the Mark and Elisia Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center at UMass Lowell, an $80 million, 84,000-ft² research facility that houses cutting-edge science and engineering research. Christopher McCarroll of Raytheon and Craig Armiento, electrical and computer engineering professor at UMass Lowell, codirect the institute.