Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: New York State Announces Unprecedented High Technology Initiative

Home > Press > New York State Announces Unprecedented High Technology Initiative

Abstract:
Infotonics Technology Center and College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering form unprecedented partnership to enable world-class nanotechnology research, development and commercialization

Merger leverages and builds on the state's R&D assets to drive new opportunities and positions New York State as a global center for integrated systems

New York State Announces Unprecedented High Technology Initiative

Albany, NY | Posted on September 21st, 2010

Empire State Development (ESD) and the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) today announced the merger of two of New York State's Centers of Excellence- Infotonics Technology Center (ITC) in Canandaigua and the Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) in Albany. Empire State Development and NYSTAR will invest up to $10 million to the merged operation, the Smart System Technology & Commercialization Center (STC), which will be managed and supported by CNSE.

The merger and the addition of new processing capabilities at ITC and CNSE's Albany NanoTech Complex situate New York State for significant private sector job creation and investment in all areas of advanced manufacturing across the state. In addition, the partnership leverages the state's investment in these two facilities and positions New York State as a global leader in smart system and smart device innovation and manufacturing.

"The creation of the Smart System Technology & Commercialization Center will advance and strengthen New York's role as a leader in this innovation economy," said Governor David A. Paterson. "Our Centers of Excellence have become national models for facilitating critical private sector investment in emerging high technology fields and for creating and expanding New Economy jobs. This merger will now allow for the best and brightest minds to collaborate and partner together to leverage these assets and drive new opportunities that will have a resounding affect not only in the Finger Lakes region but across the state. I applaud Empire State Development and NYSTAR as well as our partners-Infotonics Technology Center and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering-for their vision and continued commitment to our Centers of Excellence."

"Today's exciting announcement is a critical piece of Governor Paterson's New Economy initiative," said Empire State Development Chairman & CEO Dennis M. Mullen. "Through the deployment of new technologies into real products and manufacturing processes, this merger will drive economic development, thus creating value and new markets for private sector companies. These days, every industry has a smart system or smart device problem but now, together, these Center of Excellence facilities will help companies all over the world and the U.S. Government reduce the time and cost associated with bringing smart system/device solutions to the market. This partnership will allow for an improvement in the overall competitiveness of ITC and CNSE by not only expanding capacity, but enhancing operational efficiency and creating more synergy when bringing economic opportunities to the Finger Lakes region and New York State."

"This merger represents a strategic alignment of the state's technology assets in nanotechnology creating new synergies in research, prototyping and product development," said Executive Director of the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation Edward Reinfurt. "We congratulate Paul Tolley and Alain Kaloyeros for the leadership they have provided in developing an exciting business model that enhances the many strengths of each center."

Significant market opportunities exist in the area of systems and devices with "smart" features, such as those commonly found on consumer products like smart phones or a Wii controller. A smart device is simply a mechanical device integrated onto a computer chip. It can analyze a situation-usually with sensors-and make decisions/actions based on data collected. The challenge, and therefore, opportunity, is to take this know-how and translate it across every major industry sector.

This merger will position CNSE as a vertically integrated "one-stop-shop" for smart systems' device development and process manufacturing, coupling CNSE's preeminence in nanoelectronics R&D with ITC's expertise in integrating computer chips with hundreds of mechanical devices. These capabilities will be unmatched the world over, with regards to capacity, infrastructure and operational capabilities, and create immediate job and investment opportunities in all areas of advanced manufacturing, such as aerospace, defense, medical and energy industries.

Similar to the successful strategy developed and deployed by CNSE with the nanoelectronics industry, the merger will take advantage of a highly fragmented industry through the creation of a New York State-based private-public consortium of stakeholders to develop the technology roadmap for smart devices and accelerate the path from research to commercialization. The merger also positions New York State to be a key partner with U.S. government and private industry in reducing the time and cost associated with bringing these devices to market. Furthermore, as New York State makes inroads on the smart system/device integration, this strategy will put the New York State at the center of future industry expansions and consolidations.

College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering Senior Vice President and CEO Alain Kaloyeros said, "The merger of the Centers of Excellence at the UAlbany NanoCollege and the Infotonics Technology Center is testament to the vision of the New York State Assembly and Senate, as embodied by Assemblymen Joseph Morelle and Brian Kolb and Senator Michael Nozzolio, and the leadership of Empire State Development CEO Dennis Mullen, in further expanding New York's globally recognized ecosystem for nanotechnology research, development and commercialization. Leveraging CNSE's world-class research and infrastructure resources with the advanced development and prototyping capabilities at the Infotonics Center will enable the Center to accelerate the deployment of innovative nanoscale system technologies, while creating exciting opportunities to attract high-tech jobs, companies and investments to the Greater Rochester Region."

Infotonics Technology Center CEO Paul Tolley said, "In order for the innovation economy to successfully create sustainable job growth in our State and nation, commercialization and manufacturing are of vital importance. Without them, we fail to capture the full economic benefits generated by this innovation activity. This merger, creating the new Smart System Technology & Commercialization Center, and the infrastructure investment being made here, further underscores that New York State is leading the nation in supporting an industrial plan committed to keeping high tech manufacturing on our shores. Together, CNSE, a proven leader in creating economic growth in the Albany Region, and ITC, a center dedicated to transitioning innovation to commercial products, will leverage our combined resources to enable smart devices to reach their full market potential and be competitively commercialized here in New York State."

Terry Taber, Chief Technology Officer at Kodak said: "At Kodak we are very pleased to see that the ITC is being reinforced through this merger. Microfluidic MEMS technology is a key component in Kodak's inkjet businesses both in consumer and commercial devices. This aligns perfectly with the ITC's mission, so we hope to see our collaboration with the center expand over time to encompass feasibility, prototyping and low-volume manufacturing."

####

About UAlbany NanoCollege
The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering is the first college in the world dedicated to education, research, development, and deployment in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience, nanoengineering, nanobioscience, and nanoeconomics. CNSE's Albany NanoTech Complex is the most advanced research enterprise of its kind at any university in the world. With over $6 billion in high-tech investments, the 800,000-square-foot complex attracts corporate partners from around the world and offers students a one-of-a-kind academic experience. The UAlbany NanoCollege houses the only fully-integrated, 300mm wafer, computer chip pilot prototyping and demonstration line within 80,000 square feet of Class 1 capable cleanrooms. More than 2,500 scientists, researchers, engineers, students, and faculty work on site at CNSE's Albany NanoTech, from companies including IBM, AMD, GlobalFoundries, SEMATECH, Toshiba, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, ASML, Novellus Systems, Vistec Lithography and Atotech. An expansion currently in the planning stages is projected to increase the size of the CNSE Albany NanoTech Complex to over 1,250,000 square feet of next-generation infrastructure housing over 105,000 square feet of Class 1 capable cleanrooms and more than 3,750 scientists, researchers, and engineers from CNSE and global corporations.

The Infotonics Technology Center of Excellence in Photonics & Microsystems is a technology commercialization center that assists firms transition new technologies from concept to manufacturing. ITC maintains a 140,000 square-foot facility with over 25,000 square feet of cleanrooms for micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication and packaging. ITC works with large and medium sized companies to help them bring new technologies to market, with small companies ready to transition from prototype and low volume manufacturing to scalable manufacturing, and with various federal agencies to develop technology solutions addressing areas of critical national need. The collaboration includes industrial participants such as Corning Inc., Eastman Kodak Company, and Xerox Corporation. Academic participants include approximately twenty New York State colleges and universities, including the Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester.

NYSTAR is a public benefit corporation that helps grow New York's innovation economy with its support of high technology development and commercialization through academic and business partnerships.

Empire State Development is New York's chief economic development agency, committed to being recognized on a global scale as the economic development engine driving job growth, strategic investment and prosperity in New York State. ESD is intent on paving the way for New York State to become the leader of the innovation economy and one of the most business friendly, productive and competitive economic development climates in the world. ESD also oversees the marketing of "I LOVE NY," the State's iconic tourism brand. For more information, visit www.esd.ny.gov.

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Steve Janack
CNSE Vice President for Marketing and Communications
Phone: 518-956-7322

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark: