Empire State Development, SUNY announce establishment of NY CREATES

Empire State Development and the State University of New York announced the New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering and Science, or NY CREATES, held its first board meeting and is formally leading operations of Fuller Road (FRMC) and Fort Schuyler (FSMC) Management Corps., two nonprofits affiliated with the SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly). 

Since May 2018, ESD and SUNY have worked together to restructure the portfolio of economic development projects affiliated with SUNY Poly by launching NY CREATES as a single nonprofit to manage the portfolio. This strengthens the oversight, management, governance and delivery of projects by focusing the NY CREATES management team on core non-academic, economic development-related programs led by Fort Schuyler Management Corp., Fuller Road Management Corp. and SUNY.

Consistent with its not-for-profit purposes, the mission of NY CREATES is to advance high-tech research, development and commercialization opportunities through the acquisition, construction and management of state-of-the-art facilities and programs, while promoting economic development, education and workforce training throughout New York.

SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson said, "While today marks the official formation of NY CREATES, the team has already been partner to significant public-private collaboration with ESD, SUNY, and growing companies including Applied Materials, Cree and IBM. We look forward to these ventures and more emanating from the Capital District to benefit research and job opportunities across the state."

ESD Acting Commissioner, President and CEO-designate Eric Gertler said, “This milestone for NY CREATES allows ESD, SUNY and NY CREATES to build upon the tremendous successes we have made over this last year, which includes partnerships with IBM, Applied Materials and Cree and combined private/public investments of over $4 billion into the upstate economy. I look forward to working with our partners to build upon these accomplishments by expanding opportunities to collaborate with additional academic and industrial partners, which will lead to continued smart growth of the high-tech industry in New York state.”

NY CREATES is being led by inaugural President Dr. Douglas A. Grose, former CEO of GLOBALFOUNDRIES. Since June 2018, Grose has been serving as president of Fuller Road and Fort Schuyler Management Corps. and as a SUNY executive to oversee existing operations, new opportunities, and the reorganization as NY CREATES.

The commissioner, president and CEO of ESD and SUNY chancellor serve as ex-officio advisory representatives to the NY CREATES board. Dr. Bahgat Sammakia, a SUNY distinguished professor of mechanical engineering, the vice president for research at Binghamton University and the former interim SUNY Poly president, was designated chair of the NY CREATES board. Kristin Proud, who currently serves as vice chair of the FRMC board and who previously served New York as deputy secretary to the governor for human services, technology and operations, has been designated as vice chair of the NY CREATES board.

Grose said, “NY CREATES was formed to serve as a critical resource for universities, industry partners, and the innovation-centered sector, and we have already been working to build on our successes by leveraging our physical and intellectual assets to further foster collaborations across New York state. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Empire State Development, SUNY and our other stakeholders to maximize the positive impact of our current projects – and advance new ones – in support of this state’s robust high-tech economic development clusters that provide exciting opportunities for cutting-edge research and job growth.”

Dr. Grace Wang, interim president of SUNY Poly said, “SUNY Poly is proud to work with our partners, including Empire State Development and now NY CREATES, to support New York state’s high-tech ecosystem. SUNY Poly has always focused on providing a world-class education to our students, acting as a catalyst for the invaluable high-tech workforce development efforts that enable the continued growth and success of New York state’s 21st century economy. Combined with our faculty’s unmatched innovation-based expertise, SUNY Poly is thrilled to continue its academic and research mission as it bolsters the state’s leadership in the technological areas that are increasingly impacting and improving lives.”

Since May 2018, NY CREATES leadership has been managing the multiple nonprofit entities to enhance governance and provide an effective and efficient working environment. As a result, NY CREATES, along with SUNY and New York state, has attracted significant new projects, while building on recent reforms to ensure integrity, transparency and accountability.

In addition to assuming leadership of SUNY Poly’s non-academic industrial partnership-focused economic development portfolio, NY CREATES will collaborate with SUNY, as the lead academic institution, to partner with other universities and colleges across the state; and with ESD, the state’s chief economic development agency, to advance innovative new research and development projects and develop strategic assets that support the growth of high-tech companies.

NY CREATES will continue to build on the successes of prior efforts that have attracted growing and high-paying industries and leading technology companies to New York, including GLOBALFOUNDRIES, IBM, Tesla, Applied Materials, Cree, Tokyo Electron and Danfoss, which has generated thousands of jobs in the Capital Region and across upstate New York.

NY CREATES’ vision is to further expand New York’s position as a technology and economic development leader; leveraging cutting-edge facilities and infrastructure in conjunction with its world-class resources and expertise to enable innovation as well as private and corporate investments to create excellent employment opportunities across New York.

For more information on NY CREATES, visit www.ny-creates.org.