Convergent Photonics has been awarded a $2,581,109 grant from the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative to support the development of an advanced manufacturing center in partnership with Western New England University (WNE). Called a “Lab for Education and Application Prototyping,” or LEAP, the lab will focus on product development, training, and research in integrated photonics, and will be the fourth lab of its kind in its state, according to a press release from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. The facility will support Convergent as it aims to develop high-powered laser diodes for medical systems and fiber lasers used as optical power supplies in data centers. A high-power semiconductor laser lab will be installed, too, as well as a state-of-the-art education and training facility for students, teachers, and faculty from WNE, Springfield Technical Community College, and other Massachusetts institutions, according to a Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative announcement introducing the award. “These LEAP facilities are critical to our next-generation workforce of skilled technicians, engineers, scientists, and leaders in the growing field of integrated photonics, as well as ensuring our national security in manufacturing and defense-related supply chains,” said Dr. Michael J. Cumbo, CEO of AIM Photonics. AIM is supporting the facility to be managed by Convergent and WNE.