New York State Announces Unprecedented High Technology Initiative
Infotonics Technology Center and College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering form unprecedented partnership to enable world-class nanotechnology research, development and commercialization
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ALBANY, N.Y. (September 20, 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) at the University at 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.
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College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering Senior Vice President and CEO Alain Kaloyeros speaks at the merger announcement. |
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."
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.
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