Cornell University has received a renewed 10-year, $10 million grant aimed at driving economic growth and job creation through applied research and commercialization of groundbreaking technologies. The funding, provided by Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), will continue supporting the Center for Advanced Technology (CAT) at Cornell.
The Center for Life Science Enterprise, housed within the Cornell Institute of Biotechnology, focuses on fostering partnerships between academic researchers and New York-based companies. These collaborations have led to the development of innovative high-tech products, particularly in life sciences and biotechnology. The center is one of 15 such hubs across the state, all tasked with converting state investments into economic development.
Gary Koretzky, interim vice provost for research, emphasized the importance of this renewed funding, stating it reinforces Cornell’s role in advancing biotech innovation. He noted that the center has a strong history of bridging academia and industry, accelerating the transition of research into practical applications that benefit both the economy and society.
Since its inception in 1983, the center has supported over 1,050 life science research initiatives at Cornell. It typically awards eight to ten grants annually, each ranging from $50,000 to $75,000, with industry partners required to match the investment. These grants have facilitated the commercialization of inventions in areas such as medicine, agriculture, and environmental science. Over the past decade, the center has contributed to the creation or retention of more than 420 jobs in the life sciences sector.
Hope Knight, president and CEO of Empire State Development, highlighted the importance of NYSTAR’s Centers for Advanced Technology in growing New York’s economy and innovation ecosystem. She noted that investing in future industries creates immediate benefits through partnerships that generate jobs, revenue, and attract businesses to the state.
Matthew DeLisa, director of the Cornell Institute of Biotechnology and principal investigator at the Cornell CAT, expressed gratitude for NYSTAR’s continued support. He emphasized that the achievements of biotech ventures supported by the center demonstrate Cornell’s strong environment for transforming early-stage discoveries into successful commercial enterprises.
The center collaborates with companies such as Regeneron and Balchem, and has previously worked with GE and Bausch & Lomb. These partnerships fund university research and can lead to significant economic returns, according to Koretzky.
Chris Thomas, founder and CEO of RETRN Bio, noted that working with the CAT has been instrumental in connecting his startup with the Ithaca innovation ecosystem and Cornell researchers. The company is developing biodegradable coatings for food packaging to replace toxic plastics.
The center also supports the Center for Life Science Ventures incubator, which helps entrepreneurs build successful life science companies through infrastructure, mentorship, and an entrepreneur-in-residence program. Additionally, it supports life science firms across New York through an internship program in collaboration with Entrepreneurship at Cornell, covering 50% of summer wages for students placed with startups.
The center integrates projects across Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell Tech, Cornell AgriTech, and the Ithaca campus, promoting a collaborative approach to life science innovation. Ben Verschueren, executive director at NYSTAR, noted that the Center for Advanced Technology model demonstrates how public investment in research, combined with real-world execution, can drive growth across sectors such as agtech, veterinary medicine, therapeutics, and biotechnology.
— news from (Cornell Chronicle)
— News Original —
With $10M, NYS renews Cornell program to drive economic, job growth
Cornell has secured a 10-year, $10 million grant renewal to continue work aimed at spurring economic impact and job growth through applied research, development and commercialization of breakthrough technologies.
Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) program has renewed its grant support for Cornell’s Center for Advanced Technology (CAT). Empire State Development announced the funding July 9.
Cornell’s CAT, the Center for Life Science Enterprise, is housed in the Cornell Institute of Biotechnology and provides funding and support for partnerships between university researchers and New York state companies that lead to novel high-tech products. It specializes in the life sciences and biotechnology and offers programming geared to technology commercialization.
Cornell’s Center for Life Science Enterprise is one of 15 CAT centers at universities across the state charged with transforming state investment into economic growth.
“This renewed investment from New York state affirms the vital role Cornell plays in advancing biotechnology innovation,” said Gary Koretzky, interim vice provost for research. “It allows us to build on a strong track record of academic-industry partnerships that accelerate the translation of research into real-world solutions, supporting both economic growth and public impact. I appreciate New York State’s partnership with Cornell and investment in our collective future.”
Since its establishment in 1983, the center has funded over 1,050 life-science research projects across Cornell. It typically awards eight to 10 grants per year of $50,000-$75,000 each to Cornell researchers, whose industry partners are required to make an equal investment in the project. Through these awards, the center has facilitated the transfer of Cornell inventions to the marketplace in areas from human and animal medicine to agriculture, chemistry and the environment. Over the last 10 years of operation, the Cornell CAT has contributed to the creation or retention of over 420 life-science sector jobs.
These projects have benefited the state’s economy through job creation and retention and have created revenue streams to Cornell researchers, their labs, the university and the state, Koretzky said.
“NYSTAR’s Centers for Advanced Technology are vital to our strategic efforts to grow New York’s economy and the state’s greater innovation ecosystem,” Hope Knight, president CEO and commissioner at Empire State Development, said in an announcement. “By investing in the industries of tomorrow, New Yorkers benefit today through dynamic partnerships that help to create new jobs, generate more revenues and encourage more companies to establish a footprint in communities all throughout the state.”
“We are grateful to NYSTAR for enabling us to continue bridging the gap between academic technology and commercial success,” said Matthew DeLisa, the William L. Lewis Professor of Engineering in the Robert F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, director of the Cornell Institute of Biotechnology and principal investigator at the Cornell CAT. “The achievements of CAT-supported biotech ventures underscore Cornell’s robust ecosystem for transforming early-stage life science discoveries into thriving commercial enterprises.”
The center currently collaborates with companies including Regeneron and Balchem and has previously worked with GE and Bausch & Lomb, leveraging industry partnerships that fund university research and can produce large-scale economic returns, Koretzky said.
“Working with the CAT has been key in linking our SUNY spin-out with the Ithaca startup ecosystem as well as Cornell researchers, allowing us to further develop our technical innovations while building partnerships critical for commercial pilots,” said Chris Thomas, founder and CEO of RETRN Bio. The startup works to enable the fiber-packaging industry to displace toxic, outdated plastics with a new class of tunable biodegradable coatings for food packaging.
The center also partially supports the Center for Life Science Ventures incubator, enabling entrepreneurs to develop viable life science companies with high rates of success, with infrastructure, mentorship and an entrepreneur-in-residence program.
Further, the center supports life science companies across New York state through its internship program, in collaboration with Entrepreneurship at Cornell. The program funds 50% of summer wages for Cornell students placed with life science startups and growing firms.
Leveraging Cornell’s broad expertise, the center connects projects across Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell Tech, Cornell AgriTech and the Ithaca campus, fostering a networked approach to life science innovation.
As part of New York’s broader economic development strategy, the Center for Advanced Technology model continues to prove that public investment in research, when coupled with real-world execution, can drive growth across sectors, from agtech and veterinary medicine to therapeutics and biotechnology, said Ben Verschueren, executive director at NYSTAR.
“New York state’s universities have some of the greatest researchers and facilities in the world. The Centers for Advanced Technologies program exists so that private industry can tap into these resources as they develop game-changing ideas,” Verschueren said. “I’m eager to see the new technologies that result from their work – innovations that will help shape our regional economies for years to come.”
Stephen D’Angelo is the communications manager for biological systems at Cornell Research and Innovation.