CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and BOSTON, Feb. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Draper and the Northeast Microelectronics Coalition (NEMC) today announced that Draper will provide advisory services and support to startups and small companies within NEMC's membership to de-risk and accelerate lab-to-fab technology transition. The formal introduction will be made at the 2026 Microelectronics Commons Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

These services build upon the NEMC's Powering Regional Opportunities for Prototyping Microelectronics (PROPEL) program, providing funding and support to help early-stage ventures and growing firms overcome complex technical risks and reduce development timelines.

Under the agreement, Draper will offer Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) design and multi-project wafer (MPW) readiness advisory services to NEMC members, where such support is appropriate to project objectives. The goal is to help reduce execution risk, improve design quality, and better prepare for MPW fabrication and downstream integration.

"We look forward to sharing our unique experience and deep expertise in ASIC design and MPW preparedness with NEMC members," said Michael Cassidy, Director, Secured & Assured Systems, Draper. "This agreement reflects our commitment as a trusted innovation partner to strengthen this region's microelectronics ecosystem by meeting innovators where they are. Draper's role will be to help NEMC members navigate the complexity of ASIC design, fabrication, and integration so their ideas can move from the lab into the real world to support national security and commercial competitiveness."

"This unique collaboration with Draper provides microelectronics innovators much-needed access to trusted advisory support within the ME Commons ecosystem, reinforcing the value of design readiness and MPW execution discipline," said Farhad Vazehgoo, Director, Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships, NEMC. "By reinforcing the value of design readiness and MPW execution discipline, we are strengthening our offerings to help member companies overcome manufacturing and operational hurdles and accelerate time to market."  

ASIC design is the process of creating custom-built semiconductor chips optimized for a single, specific function, offering high performance, efficiency, and small size for a wide range of applications. MPW semiconductor manufacturing arrangements allow customers to share tooling (like mask) and microelectronics wafer fabrication cost between several designs or projects.

Draper's role will be advisory in nature, intended to support member success rather than approve designs, certify readiness, or control access to MPW or fabrication resources. Any work will be scoped and coordinated through MassTech to ensure alignment with NEMC program objectives.

NEMC members and those active in the startup and small business ecosystem are invited to learn more about these advisory services. To indicate interest, visit https://forms.office.com/r/EX4DpkWy9w.

About Draper

Draper is a non-profit research, development, and manufacturing company that solves some of the nation's most important challenges. With more than 2,500 employees working in collaboration across 12 locations, Draper delivers transformative, mission-driven solutions that successfully meet our customers' requirements. These efforts focus on four critical mission areas: Strategic Systems, Space Systems, Electronic Systems, and Biotechnology Systems. To extend our legacy into the future, the Draper Scholars program engages with the next generation of innovators while DraperSPARX™ seeks to partner with startups and small businesses that can further our mission. To learn more about Draper, visit www.draper.com. Follow Draper on Linked In and Instagram. 

About the NEMC Hub 

The Northeast Microelectronics Coalition (NEMC) Hub is a network of 300+ organizations including commercial and defense companies, leading academic institutions, federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), and startups concentrated in eight Northeastern states. The NEMC Hub is a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech) and was established in 2023 under the Microelectronics Commons program, executed through the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division (NSWC Crane) and the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL). The NEMC Hub fosters a vibrant, well-connected ecosystem to provide sustainable lab-to-fab enablement, boost education and workforce development, and spur new jobs. 

Learn more at nemicroelectronics.org.

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SOURCE Draper Laboratory