The success of the University at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering has inspired a push for a similar nanotechnolgy center in Central New York ...
The buzz at a Thursday economic development update in New Hartford in Oneida County was all about "nano" - specifically, the nanocenter site in Marcy and the neighboring SUNYIT “Quad C” Project. There has been construction activity at Marcy along with signings to approve state funding, and more... Mark Reynolds, Senior Vice President of Mohawk Valley EDGE, the Economic Development Growth Enterprises Corporation, is pushing for the Marcy site to become a research and development hub, a production facility rivaling GlobalFoundries in Saratoga County, enhanced by the fact that the site adjoins SUNY IT's Quad C -or- Computer Chip Commercialization Center, currently in the design phase, modeled after the Albany nanocollege.
In 2010, the Citizens Budget Commission awarded its coveted Prize for Public Service Innovation to the New York State Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in Albany for creating a world-class nanotech alliance and for moving New York to set a new standard for economic development in the state. Although CBC supports nanotechnology, it released a report earlier this month critical of Governor Andrew Cuomo's Tax-Free New York proposal, saying that New York needs to improve its accountability when it comes to economic development spending.
Businesspeople seem to agree that funding nanotechnology is a smart move that will result in major economic benefits later - Mark Reynolds anticipates a "spin-off" effect: three or four more jobs generated from every job at the facility. He calls it a definite “game changer” for Central New York's economic future.
