The Healey-Driscoll administration is cutting a fresh round of checks for the state’s manufacturing sector, announcing yesterday that $4.45 million in Business Builds grants will go toward modernizing facilities and slashing emissions across Massachusetts. State officials say the awards are expected to generate about 90 new jobs statewide, backing projects that range from fusion energy to low-carbon steel and plastics alternatives.
In this first round of Business Builds awards, Commonwealth Fusion Systems in Devens will receive $2.5 million, Boston Metal in Woburn will get $950,308, and Leominster-based Urthpact Innovations will receive $999,692, according to the Boston Herald. The state says the $4.45 million in public dollars is expected to spur roughly $52 million in private investment, a hefty multiplier for a relatively modest pot of grant money.
SPARC And The Clean-energy Angle
Commonwealth Fusion Systems describes its SPARC project as a compact, commercially relevant net-energy fusion device being built at its Devens campus, a milestone the company says will help prove fusion can deliver carbon-free power. According to Commonwealth Fusion Systems, SPARC is being developed alongside on-site manufacturing and supporting infrastructure that the company says will help scale fusion technologies toward commercial deployment.
What Business Builds Is Backing
Business Builds, launched in December 2025, is a competitive capital grant program designed to support expansions, job creation and climate-friendly investment across the state, with the first application round closing on Feb. 4. Those launch details and program goals were laid out in reporting by BusinessWest. Additional materials are posted on the state’s program page at Mass.gov.
According to state materials reported by the Boston Herald, Urthpact’s Leominster project is expected to create about 75 jobs and to replace more than 500 million petroleum-based plastic items per year. Boston Metal’s award will support low-carbon steel production that the state described as cutting lifecycle CO2 emissions by more than 90 percent.
“The grants support companies advancing fusion energy, sustainable manufacturing, and next-generation materials while creating new jobs statewide,” Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley said, and Gov. Maura Healey said the awards will “help companies expand and modernize facilities and create jobs,” according to the state release cited by the Boston Herald.
What To Watch
Officials say this first round is intended to catalyze private follow-on investment, and state and local leaders will be watching hiring, capital commitments and on-the-ground construction as projects move from planning to buildout. Businesses eyeing future rounds can find application guidance, program criteria and timelines on the Business Builds page at Mass.gov.
