MIT is proposing to build a research facility at Hanscom Air Force Base near Boston that would design electronic components for use in aerospace, communications, and missile technologies. The facility would be run by MIT's Lincoln Laboratory, according to a report in the Boston Globe. MIT would finance the project so the federal government would not have to pay for construction, although the government would subsequently pay to use the new research space.
The Globe reports that at least 250,000 square feet will be build within 10 years at a cost of up to $450 million, creating an estimated 275 construction jobs. The completed facility would house 3,500 MIT employees plus 500 contract employees.
The Globe reports that Republican Senator Scott P. Brown, a member of the Armed Services Committee, hopes to get the plan adopted as part of the Pentagon’s spending bill by the end of May. “Updating these critical laboratories will help achieve our national security objectives and reinforce Hanscom’s role in our local economy,’’ Brown said. Democratic Senator John F. Kerry added that entities like MIT will help guarantee continued Pentagon investment in the region.
Lincoln Laboratory was established in 1951 to build the nation's first air defense system. Its roots date back to the MIT Radiation Laboratory, which was formed out of the Physics Department during World War II to develop radar for the Allied war effort. According to the Globe, Lincoln Laboratory now employees 1,500 people.
