2024-2025

Community Impact Report

An evening sunset with the skyline of Worcester

PARTNERING FOR PROGRESS

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View of the entrance to WPI Campus with large red logo signage and autumn trees in the background with campus buildings in the distance.

WPI: Creating Jobs, Fueling the Economy, Carrying Our Name

 

For 160 years, WPI has proudly called Worcester home. Every day, our students, faculty, and staff help drive the city’s vibrancy and growth through innovation, research, entrepreneurship, community service, and civic engagement. Approximately 350 of our employees live in Worcester, strengthening the ties between campus and community. Companies launched from WPI discoveries have created more than 400 jobs and attracted $1.7 billion in investment to the region. Each year, students arrive from nearly all 50 states and close to 100 countries, carrying the name of Worcester and WPI with them around the world.

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A close up view of a shelf of research supplies

Research & Innovation Impact

 

In the past 10 years, the university’s research has resulted in 25 startups, including those in lithium-ion battery manufacturing and recycling, carbon-negative building materials, and AI in healthcare.

54

Student startups at early-stage developments

536

Employees hired by WPI spin-off companies

$1.7 billion

Capital raised

2024 WPI Contributions to Worcester

$815,000

PILOT

$6,950,681

Total WPI-funded grants and scholarships to City of Worcester residents

$17,710,434

Total WPI-funded grants & scholarships to Worcester County residents

$737,528

Water/sewer fees paid to the city of Worcester

$725,295

Real Estate Taxes paid to Worcester

$7,573,267

Total purchasing expenditures with Worcester suppliers and vendors

Faculty Startups

Ascend Elements

AiM Medical Robotics

AM Batteries

Apprendis

Blustream

Bright Feeds

CSN

Cyvl.ai

Datanomix

Dx Now

Enzymatic

Flexxbotics

Fuse

Ilera

In Virtu Data Solutions

Kinetic Batteries

Melt Cognition

Nemedio

NeVa

Ossanex

Phase Maze

River Otter Renewables

Sports Engineering Inc.

StrandSmart

Ubiros

Long-Term Community & Economic Growth & Impact

2,024

WPI alumni residing in Worcester

5,542

WPI alumni residing in Worcester County

352

Faculty, Administrators & Staff residing in the City of Worcester

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Wide shot of Worcester city focused on buildings, transportation and economic growth

Workforce Development & Student Engagement

Student Projects

WPI Students actively collaborate with local organizations to apply their skills and support community goals. This year, 12 local businesses and organizations hosted 19 student projects, including:

  • 13 Major Qualifying Projects (MQPs)
  • 3 Graduate Qualifying Projects (GQPs)
  • 3 Additional community-based projects

Local partners included: UMass Chan Medical School, Saint-Gobain Abrasives, RoboSource, LLC, Hanover Insurance Group, Green Future Wealth Management, Acoustic Java, and 360Energy, among others. These collaborations strengthen Worcester’s innovation ecosystem while offering students valuable hands-on learning experiences.

392

WPI students from Worcester 

(undergraduate, graduate full- and part time)

Student Project Highlights 2024-2025

12,025

Total student volunteer hours

Teacher Preparation Program Partners with Worcester Public School

Seven candidates in WPI’s Teacher Preparation Program completed their student teaching in the Worcester Public Schools this year, finishing the practicum required for Massachusetts state licensure. Along the way, they made a positive impact on many young lives. 

Habitat for Humanity MetroWest/Greater Worcester

Three teams of WPI students helped the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate during the last year. Two teams assisted the organization’s ReStore with its e-commerce strategy. The first team analyzed and recommended e-commerce platforms, and the second de- veloped an operational plan for inventory management. A third team developed a tool to assist Habitat employees and volunteers with translation when assisting customers.

Legendary Legacies

WPI students developed a comprehensive recommendation for the best educational modalities and technologies that could be used by the organization to deliver its Gang Outreach Worker certification program.

Community Engagement & Pre-Practicum in Teaching

WPI’s Teacher Preparation Program partnered with the Worcester-based African Community Education organization to support its afterschool program with tutoring and assisting with enrichment programs. This helped students create authentic connections with K -12 learners while examining and redefining “community” and “community engagement.” They also learned to see things from different cultural perspectives and to approach interactions with humility and respect for other cultures.
Preview Colorful legos and background for Mill Swan HeadStart project

Mill Swan Head Start

WPI students designed and installed multiple STEAM-based play features for the Mill Swan HeadStart. The installations facilitate learning through outdoor play at the center. 

WPI is a Tech & Talent Hub for Central Massachusetts

Preview Overhead view of downtown city of Worcester
Startups Powered by WPI technology
  • Ascend Elements – Westborough, MA
  • BrightFeeds – Oxford, MA
  • Blustream – Worcester
  • Kinetic Batteries – Worcester
  • AiM Medical Robotics – Worcester
  • In Virtu – Westborough
  • Global Mineral Recovery, Inc. – Worcester
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New Building Projects Showing Economic Growth in Downtown Worcester

In Worcester, it’s the people and the small businesses that give it heart.

F.W. Madigan Company, Inc. and WPI: Building Growth, Business, and Community

“WPI provided a phenomenal education and background to run a business,” Francis W. Madigan III says, calling the university “a gem” in the city of Worcester. “Our family has a long tie-in to WPI.” Read the full story about how F.W. Madigan and WPI are helping to build economic growth in the city and region.

Read the Story

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A scene of WPI students and the owner of Fuel Coffee enjoying working at a table in the coffee shop.

In Worcester, it’s the people and the small businesses that give it heart.

Fuel America: Economic and Creative Vitality Fueled by Coffee and WPI

“I hope that people from WPI feel like this shop is their home,” says Neelu Mohaghegh, owner of Fuel America and Grove Street Market. “I hope they find themselves gathering here, getting their work done, coming to events, and sharing it with their friends and family.” In addition to a dedicated base of WPI customers, WPI students make up more than half of Grove Village Market’s workforce. The college has “provided me with some of the best workers for my team,” says Mohaghegh, with many having worked at the shop throughout their college careers. Read the full story about how Fuel America, Grove Street Market, and WPI are serving the community and fueling Worcester’s economic vitality.

Read the Story

Community Well-being & Sustainability

WPI and Mass Academy students brought exciting and inspirational STEM learning opportunities through hands-on workshops and interactive experiences to middle and high school students.

Inspiring Young Minds in STEM

WPI and Mass Academy students brought exciting and inspirational STEM learning opportunities through hands-on workshops and interactive experiences to middle and high school students at the AVANZA STEM Expo 2025 hosted by the Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University.
WPI’s STEM Education Center coordinated a Family STEM Night as part of Mass STEM Week 2024.

Showcasing STEM for Families

WPI’s STEM Education Center coordinated a Family STEM Night as part of Mass STEM Week 2024. The event was hosted by the Worcester Boys & Girls Club and the Central MA STEM Network (CMSN) Ecosystem and included 24 exhibitors, including 12 stations by WPI faculty and students.
Worcester area enjoyed two weeks of hands-on academic enrichment and STEM exploration this summer at Junior Academy at Mass Academy

Opening Doors to the Future at Junior Academy

Rising 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students in the Worcester area enjoyed two weeks of hands-on academic enrichment and STEM exploration this summer at Junior Academy at Mass Academy. Students dove into hands-on projects and labs while building confidence and curiosity in their learning.

Interventions for Strengthening Resilience to Extreme Heat in Worcester

WPI students studied ways in which extreme heat impacts Worcester residents to inform heat resilience interventions. The data helped to determine heat vulnerable populations, cooling adaptations residents rely on, and barriers that interfere with achieving heat resilience. A subsequent report determined 11 social, environmental, and infrastructural heat resilience interventions the city should pursue. 

Read the Report

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Stratton Hall at WPI

GET IN TOUCH

Future Commitments & Call to Action

Your stories of connection and collaboration help us highlight the real ways WPI’s student-centric mission extends beyond campus and strengthens Worcester. 

Thank you for all you do for our community, for your strong commitment to our students, and for helping to make WPI a valued partner to our city. We look forward to sharing more updates as this important work moves forward.

We want to hear from you: 

How has WPI made a positive impact on you, your organization, your business, or your community?

Please contact:

Laura Martinez

Director, Government & Community Relations at WPI

lmartinez4@wpi.edu