Dear Friend:As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business, I am pleased to serve on the Senate's "NextGen" Task Force to explore opportunities to strengthen and capitalize on New York State's position as a leader in the global high-tech/biotech economy.The NextGen Task Force was established to analyze the myriad business-development issues confronting New York State’s emerging industry sectors and formulate a series of public policy recommendations addressing these challenges. The Task Force’s report will form the basis of the State Senate’s prospective economic growth agenda.Rochester's public hearing in January was the third of five Task Force hearings across the State. At each event, leading professionals from the region’s high-technology and biotechnology communities are invited to relay both their experiences and suggestions to Task Force members. Among other Rochester-area industry leaders, the "blue-ribbon" list of participants for Rochester’s hearing included Maurice Zauderer, Ph.D, President & CEO of Vaccinex, Inc., Richard Jarman, Director of Advanced Manufacturing Affairs and Technology Outreach at Eastman Kodak and Duncan Moore, Ph.D., CEO of the Infotonics Technology Center. New York State is already a global leader in the high-tech and biotech economy thanks to enormously successful initiatives such as "Gen*NY*sis" and "Centers of Excellence. I believe we must pursue opportunities to further opportunities to further improve on the gains we’ve made with these programs, and this Task Force is a significant first step in that process. With a comprehensive high-tech economic development agenda in place for the coming years, we can ensure that New York State will be an attractive location to start or relocate a business, thus fueling our local economy and boosting the job market.
Through the landmark "Gen*NY*sis" and "Centers of Excellence" program, New York State provided approximately $500 million to fund several high-tech and biotechnology capital projects at designated public, not-for-profit and private academic research institutions across New York.
Through the Senate’s "Gen*NY*sis" capital investment program, $30 million was allocated to enhance the University of Rochester’s Medical Center’s biomedical research capabilities, with additional funding for the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Center for Biotechnology Education and Training. Moreover, Governor Pataki’s "Centers of Excellence" initiative established the Canandaigua Center of Excellence in Photonics—expected to create approximately 5,000 new jobs over the next ten years.
Building upon "Gen*NY*sis" and the "Centers of Excellence," the "NextGen" Task Force will address New York State policies affecting firms’ access to capital, personnel and necessary technology, with an emphasis on establishing a competitive operating environment for both existing and prospective high-tech and biotechnology companies. As the State is proceeding with necessary capital investments, the growth and viability of such firms is vital to future job creation and economic development.Read the Full Report of the NEXTGEN TASK FORCE Here
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