LIFT Launches Cutting-Edge Learning Lab to Fuel Puerto Rico’s Future in Advanced Manufacturing

CAGUAS, Puerto Rico – In a bold step toward shaping the next generation of innovators, LIFT – the Department of Defense-supported national advanced materials and manufacturing innovation institute – officially opened the doors to its brand-new Learning Lab yesterday at its Puerto Rico facility in Caguas.

The ribbon-cutting, attended by Carlos J. Rios Pierluisi, Deputy Secretary, Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce, William Miranda Torres, Mayor, Caguas, local and regional manufacturers, educators, and enthusiastic students from Colegio Católico Notre Dame, CIMATEC, Caribbean Robotics Academy, Escuela Especializada en Ciencias y Matemáticas Brígida Álvarez Rodríguez, Escuela Superior Lino Padrón Rivera marked a pivotal moment for education and workforce development on the island.

Designed to ignite curiosity and build real-world skills, the state-of-the-art Learning Lab immerses users in the rapidly evolving world of advanced manufacturing. From K-12 students and educators to career-seekers and industry professionals, the Lab offers hands-on access to robotics, automation, and core disciplines such as materials science, electronics, metrology, and mechatronics.

“We’re grateful that LIFT is expanding its operations in Puerto Rico, by opening this strategic Lab that will greatly benefit our economic development efforts, based in strengthening innovation and updating the technological skills of our workforce continuously, to keep attracting advanced manufacturing to the Island. This Learning Lab will provide our students, teachers and professionals with a front-row seat to the future,” expressed Carlos Ríos Pierluisi, Deputy Secretary of Puerto Rico’s Department of Economic Development and Commerce.

“In Caguas, we are excited about LIFT’s arrival in Puerto Rico and appreciate the selection of our city as the site of its first learning lab on the island,” said William Miranda Torres, Mayor, Caguas. “Our municipal administration is aware of the need to focus its efforts on innovation and is committed to collaborating to develop a workforce that will allow us to be competitive locally and globally. The development of advanced manufacturing skills is a key strategy for Puerto Rico’s future economic development and is aligned with the strategy to attract manufacturers to the United States and its territories.”

Puerto Rico’s manufacturing sector drives nearly half of the island’s gross domestic product and spans industries from biotech and medical devices to aerospace and electronics. The new Learning Lab is strategically positioned to strengthen this vital pillar of the economy.

“The Learning Lab in Caguas brings our national mission to life in a deeply local way,” said Nigel Francis, CEO and Executive Director of LIFT. “We’re building a talent pipeline that is agile, informed, and prepared to thrive in a world where technology evolves at lightning speed.”

LIFT’s Puerto Rico facility, located at Lincoln Plaza in Caguas, opened in April 2024 as an extension of the organization’s Detroit-based headquarters. Since then, it has served as a hub for technological innovation, workforce development, and industry collaboration throughout the region.

The LIFT Learning Lab is now open to schools, teachers, students, and individuals ready to explore the exciting world of advanced manufacturing—and ready to shape what comes next.

About LIFT
LIFT, operated by the American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute, is the Detroit-based, public-private partnership with the Department of Defense connects industry, and academia, committed for the development and deployment of advanced manufacturing technologies, and implementing talent development initiatives to better prepare the workforce today and in the future. LIFT funded in part by the Department of Defense with management through the Office of Naval Research. Visit https://lift.technology/or follow on LinkedIn at LIFT or on Twitter @NewsFromLIFT to learn more.