It has been a trailblazing autumn in New York State, with advances in medicine and manufacturing, unmanned aircraft systems and imaging and the arrival of new businesses committed to job creation in key industries from biotechnology to software development. Companies are coming to New York to grow, to collaborate with the state’s renowned universities and medical centers, and to create new technologies and jobs that will transform the future. This fall snapshot both represents - and underscores - New York as a state of innovation:
- Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Corridor: New York State will invest $30 million to develop a 50-mile flight traffic management system between Syracuse and Griffiss International Airport in Rome. The investment, announced on Nov. 10, will help to advance the growing Unmanned Aircraft Systems industry in Central New York. Within the 50-mile corridor, strategic investments will help to accelerate industry growth by supporting emerging uses of UAS in industries including transportation and logistics, agriculture and forest management, media and film development, utilities and infrastructure and public safety. The investment will be made through a partnership between Empire State Development and the Northeast Airspace Integration Research Alliance.
- Groundbreaking Clinical Trial of Lung Cancer Treatment: Buffalo’s Roswell Park Cancer Institute will launch a groundbreaking clinical trial of CIMAvax-EGF, a lung cancer treatment developed in Cuba. The joint venture between Roswell Park and the Havana-based Center for Molecular Immunology stems from Governor Cuomo’s 2015 trade mission to Cuba and makes Roswell Park the first U.S. medical institution to receive FDA permission to sponsor testing of a Cuban medical therapy. The trial, announced on Oct. 26 and set to begin this month, will enroll between 60 and 90 patients and will take about three years to complete.
- 43North Startup Competition Winners: Oncolinx, a company working in conjunction with the National Cancer Institute to develop next-gen cancer therapies, was the $1 million grand prize winner in this year’s 43North Competition – with companies vying for a total of $5 million in cash prizes, free incubator space in Buffalo and mentoring and access to other business incentive programs. The Oct. 27 awards ceremony in Buffalo, emceed by Luke Russert, was the culmination of an eight-day celebration of innovation and entrepreneurship. Winning companies, including eight finalists, represent a range of technological innovation and applications to everything from hiring software and nonprofit fundraising to turbine technology and water sourcing.
- Innovation on Campus - at RIT and Alfred State: Two New York campuses are home to cutting-edge approaches to technology in 3-D printing, digital media and manufacturing. The AMPrint Center, which opened Oct. 25 on the Henrietta campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology, will focus on state-of-the-art multi-functional 3D printing technology, materials and devices. The new Center for Advanced Technology (CAT) will bring together university and corporate researchers to advance printing and imaging industries in the Finger Lakes region. Nov. 15 marked the official launch of a new center for MAGIC Spell Studios on RIT’s campus, a future hub of high-tech digital media innovation in the Finger Lakes. And a new Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing Center at Alfred State College will prepare welding and machine tool technology students for in-demand jobs, while teaching state-of-the-art sustainable practices in advanced manufacturing. A ribbon cutting on Oct. 14 showcased the school as center for high-tech in Western New York.
- More Companies Join START-UP NY: Thirty-nine businesses have joined START-UP NY, the innovative tax-free program associated with colleges and universities around the state. The new businesses have committed to create 817 new jobs and invest more than $30 million statewide over the next five years. Businesses expanding or locating to New York State under START-UP NY will create jobs in key industries, including biomedical research, information technology and advanced manufacturing. START-UP NY now has commitments from 202 companies to create at least 4,900 new jobs and invest more than $251 million over the next three to five years throughout the state.