New York
State Resources
From bustling cities to quiet rural towns, New York offers a wide range of regional diversity in lifestyles and cultures. Millions of immigrants have entered the U.S. through Ellis Island, shaping the nation’s identity. Niagara Falls, one of the most famous waterfalls in the world, is located on the border with Canada. New York City is the largest city in the U.S. and a global hub for finance, fashion, media, and culture. Not surprising, New York City is a global leader in financial services. It’s also home to landmarks like Times Square, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has several facilities in New York State, including Fort Drum (Army), the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and various bases for the New York Air National Guard. Another agency with a significant presence in New York state is the Department of Energy with Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).
New York States Department of Economic Development is known as Empire State Development (ESD). Its mission is to “promote a vigorous, inclusive and growing state economy, encourage business investment and job creation, and support diverse, local economies across New York state through the efficient us of loans, grants, tax credits, real estate development, marketing and other forms of assistance.” Highlighted below is a sample of what ESD does in order to promote entrepreneurship and provide support for new ventures within the state. Many of these activities are funded through NYSTAR, a Division of ESD focused on Science, Technology and Innovation.
Centers for Advanced Technology (CAT)
There are 15 Centers for Advanced Technology around New York state, each focused on increasing collaboration between industry and academia and each with a focus on a unique technology. For example, the Center at Rochester Institute of Technology focuses on Additive Manufacturing and Multifunctional Printing (AMPrint) ; while the CAT at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute focuses on Future Energy Systems (FES) focuses on energy systems. The CATs partially funded by industry, facilitate interaction between industry and academia. To explore the entire list of Centers for Advanced Technology, click here.
Genius NY
Initiated in 2017, the purpose of the Growing Entrepreneurs & Innovators in UpState New York or Genius NY, as it has become known, is to spark economic development in the Central area of New York state. The foundation was laid for this initiative in 2013 when the Federal Aviation Administration selected a 50-mile corridor between Rome and Syracuse, New York as the first of seven drone test sites in the U.S. Today, the NY UAS Test Site, located in Oneida County has the largest indoor/outdoor instrumented UAS research facility in the U.S. So, in 2017 when the Central Region of New York state was reviewing regional strengths, unmanned systems, was one of them. Since 2016, GENIUS NY which is sponsored by Empire State Development has invested over $24M in seed-stage startups focused on uncrewed aerial systems, automation and advanced air mobility through a pitch competition, with top prize being $1,000,000, and $3M in awards being made. The most recent award winner was Aviant, a Norwegian company. According to the October 2024 press release, eligible start-ups are required to operate their business in Central New York for at least one year.
Small Manufacturer’s Modernization Grant
This initiative is designed for small business with an established focus on manufacturing for 10 years or more and with between 5 and 99 full-time employees. Funding for this grant is provided via the State‘s Regional Economic Development Council Initiative. The minimum request is a $50,000 threshold. This award can be utilized for multiple purposes including the purchase of land, buildings, machinery and equipment. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact the appropriate State Regional Economic Development Council before preparing an application.
