UMass Lowell will hold an official opening ceremony for its new $80 million Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center (ETIC) today, the first new academic building constructed on campus in more than three decades. The 84,000-square-foot facility will be home to research in nanotechnology, molecular biology, plastics engineering and optics.  The facility includes lab space, a plastics processing high bay, and high-tech clean rooms.

The project was funded through $35 million from the Massachusetts Economic Investment Act of 2006, $5 million from the federal government, bonding through the UMass Building Authority, a $10 million grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, and industry and individual donors, including alumni.

Gov. Deval Patrick, UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan, U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, state Sen. Eileen Donoghue, state Rep. Thomas Golden, former state Sen. Steven Panagiotakos, UMass President Robert Caret, UMass Lowell Provost Ahmed Abdelal and Vice Provost for Research Julie Chen are all scheduled to attend Thursday’s ceremony.