Schumer, Gillibrand Launch Push To Secure Fed Funding For Advanced Manufacturing Performance Center In Utica; Facility Would Support Expansion At SUNY Poly's Quad-C By Creating A Nanotech Development & Testing Site In Utica -- Senators Say Center Has Potential To Spur Growth Across The Nanotech Corridor & Bring High-Tech Jobs To CNY

Press Release

Today U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand launched their push to secure federal funding for a public-private partnership between SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) and a consortium of local companies in their proposal to create a nanotechnology testbed site in Utica, NY. Schumer and Gillibrand explained that SUNY Poly, along with local companies SEMATECH, Edwards Vacuum and INFICON, have applied through the Economic Development Administration's (EDA) Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant program to establish an Advanced Manufacturing Performance (AMP) Center at SUNY Poly's Quad-C in Utica, which would allow it to focus on the research and development of nanotechnologies for advanced manufacturing. Schumer and Gillibrand said that an AMP Center at Quad-C will spur growth at SUNY Poly's Utica campus and further support the nanotechnology ecosystem across New York. Schumer and Gillibrand said the proposed Utica AMP Center, and the $1.25 million in EDA funds that could make it a reality, would bring more nanotechnology companies to the Mohawk Valley and spur regional economic development by bringing good-paying, high-tech jobs to the area.

"Sophisticated research facilities at Quad-C, a highly skilled-workforce and public-private investment make Utica an ideal location for an Advanced Manufacturing Performance Center. Upstate New York's Nanotech Corridor is home to the finest scientific minds and research resources in the field of nanotechnology, and this proposed center is exactly what the Mohawk Valley needs to add to this already promising industry," said Senator Schumer. "That is why I am calling on the EDA to select the SUNY Poly-led application that will get this project moving. Bringing the AMP Center to Utica would be a win-win-win for the Mohawk Valley, SUNY Poly and its corporate partners, and the local residents who could greatly benefit from the high-tech, good-paying jobs this groundbreaking research would bring to Central New York."

"Investments in research and development are critical to boosting the local economy, revitalizing our communities, attracting new businesses and creating new jobs," said Senator Gillibrand. "The cutting-edge research at SUNY Poly along with industry partnerships positions the proposed Advanced Manufacturing Performance Center to further advance the state's premier nanotech manufacturing sector in the Mohawk Valley and Central New York. I will continue to push for funding that leverages the state's strong community of research universities and industry partners to spur economic development and job creation."

Nanotechnology is an advanced form of scientific manipulation of matter in varying sizes. Since nanotechnology often deals with particles on an extremely small ("nano") scale, any research on the subject requires sophisticated equipment and a significant technological investment. Schumer and Gillibrand said federal EDA funding would serve as a major leap forward that would spur nanotechnology research in Upstate NY and the Mohawk Valley. This consortium application is the result of a public-private partnership between SUNY Poly and SEMATECH. Schumer and Gillibrand said the combined research resources of both institutions, as well as the resources and infrastructure provided by the application's additional consortium patterns, would allow a wider scope to be applied to nanotechnology research.

Schumer and Gillibrand said the requested $1.25 million in EDA funding would be used to install two testbeds and inspection capabilities in Utica, as well as provide the AMP Center the necessary resources to begin advanced manufacturing initiatives and establish long-term workforce development objectives for high-tech industries. Schumer and Gillibrand said the AMP Center would serve as a testbed site for research in the semiconductor industry, specifically photovoltaic, power electronics, and LED lighting. By establishing the AMP Center in Utica, the Mohawk Valley could attract high-tech companies and enhance its contribution to New York's Nanotech Corridor as it looks to become a global leader in research and development.

Schumer and Gillibrand said the partnership agreement between SUNY Poly, SEMATECH and Edwards allows each partner to focus on one aspect of the Center's management. SUNY Poly will manage the Center's strategic direction and coordinate the involvement among key stakeholders across the state. SEMATECH will oversee the Center itself and oversee technology development programs. As the first partner in the application's consortium and a leading expert in vacuum technology, Edwards will provide expertise in vacuum system technology and design during the infant stages of the Center.

In addition to the $1.25 million sought from the EDA application, the AMP Center would receive a matching $1.25 million from the State of New York. This would allow it to leverage the initial federal funding for the roughly $2.5 million project. SUNY Poly anticipates that if the EDA can approve their application in an expeditious fashion, the Center can be operational by the fourth quarter of 2016.

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