FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 3, 2001

GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES NEW RESEARCH CENTERS FOR NEW YORK CITY

Major Centers Will Promote New Research and Technology-Based Jobs for NYC

Governor George E. Pataki today announced awards totaling $27.4 million to create two Strategically Targeted Research (STAR) Centers and two Advanced Research Centers (ARC) in New York City representing one of the largest one-time high-technology/biotechnology related investments ever made by the State in New York City.

The STAR Centers at Columbia University and the City University of New York and the ARCs at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Manhattan College will play a key role in the Governor's plan to expand high-tech research and economic development, attract world-class scientists, and create new technology-based jobs in New York City and throughout the State.

"These new STAR Centers and ARCs represent another major milestone in our efforts to secure New York's role as an international leader in high-tech and biotechnology research and economic growth," Governor Pataki said. "When combined with our new $1 billion high-tech/biotechnology initiative, these new Centers will attract nationally recognized researchers, generate significant new research funding and generate thousands of new jobs in New York City and throughout the State."

Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno said, "Today's announcement is the culmination of the Jobs 2000 program I proposed in 1999 to vault New York State into the forefront of high-technology research and job development. The investment being announced today will help attract the best high-tech and biotechnology research minds in the world to New York, give them state-of-the-art labs to work in and help commercialize their efforts into high-tech businesses and jobs that will form the foundation of the State's economy for years to come. I applaud Governor Pataki for his leadership in building this successful partnership between State government, private industry and our outstanding institutions of higher learning."

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said, "The Assembly Majority has long recognized that our great academic and research institutions are public and private sector crossroads where innovation meets commercialization and high- tech professional careers are launched and nurtured. These projects are a vital component of ongoing efforts to build on our resources and ensure that New York State is competitive in the global economy of the 21st century."

Senator Roy M. Goodman said, "I warmly salute the Governor's leadership in creating this biotech project. This major announcement adds further momentum to the initiative to create a biotech center in New York City which will have the same beneficial impact as Silicon Valley in California."

Assemblyman Herman "Denny" Farrell, Jr. said, "These projects recognize that an extraordinary confluence of academic institutions and talented professionals call New York City and State home. In addition to dramatic advances in research and understanding, the result of these initiatives will be long-lasting benefits that will help ensure that New York remains competitive in the global economy of the 21st century."

Assemblyman Edward Sullivan said, "In providing this support, the Governor is recognizing the excellent quality of these academic and research institutions, each of which has shown that they accept nothing less than excellence in their work. These projects will enable them to expand their efforts to the benefit of everyone in the City and beyond."

Columbia University President Dr. George Rupp said, "The Governor has played a crucial role in catalyzing programs that enlist university research in the cause of technology transfer and economic development. All of us who care about New York's competitiveness are deeply grateful for his leadership."

CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein said, "The new STAR Center at the New York Structural Biology Center at City College will provide New York scientists with the infrastructure and the intellectual environment necessary for the full exploitation of post-genomic opportunity. CUNY, as the lead institution in this important endeavor, is deeply grateful to Governor Pataki, to Dr. Bessette, and to all of those who recognize the merits of the proposal for the new Center. Given the breadth and range of the research interests of Center scientists, and their direct relevance to drug discovery, we can look forward to realizing enormous scientific and commercial potential."

Russell W. Bessette, M.D., Executive Director of the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR) said, "The creation of these STAR Centers and ARCs provide a prime example of how Governor Pataki's initiatives will boost the State's economy through high- tech development. They will provide the physical and intellectual infrastructure necessary to achieve unprecedented breakthroughs in science and technology in New York State.''

The following institutions received awards:

$15 million to the Structural Biology Center at City University of New York;

Partners: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Columbia University, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York University, The Rockefeller University, Wadsworth Center Laboratory, Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

Mission: This STAR Center will establish a one-of-a-kind research facility to provide New York's internationally leading researchers with state-of-the-art equipment for research collaboration. The partners include world-renowned institutions and scientists in the structural biology community. Through the STAR Center, scientists will be able to pursue world-class leading research utilizing the most technologically advanced instrumentation available for nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and cryo-electron microscopy. The STAR Center is expected to work closely with the Western New York STAR Center to develop new technologies based on its research.

$11 million to the High Resolution Imaging of Functional Neural Circuits in Behavior and Pathology Center at Columbia University;

Mission: Columbia is a world leader in neuroscience research. The STAR Center's world-class team, which includes Nobel Prize winner Eric Kandel, will develop new technologies to improve the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. The Center is expected to create major economic opportunities for New York's biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical instrumentation industries.

$1.2 million to Mount Sinai School of Medicine;

Partners: SUNY Stony Brook, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories and Columbia University.

Mission: This center will purchase state-of-the-art equipment to enhance the research of the consortium in biological systems. This consortium leads a large national and international multidisciplinary consortium that is developing a large-scale collaborative project on complex biological systems with funding from the National Institute of Health.

$200,000 to Manhattan College;

Mission: Manhattan's Environmental Engineering Lab will purchase state- of-the-art equipment to expand its world-leading research in environmental water and soil quality. The Lab will develop new technologies with its research that will assist the state's environmental quality industry in ensuring high quality in our state's freshwater and saltwater environments, providing significant assistance to New York's commercial fishing industry.

The one-time awards are being made through NYSTAR's $102.5 million Capital Facility and Faculty Development Programs; it is part of an initiative to create world- class research centers and to attract and retain world-class researchers in New York State.

STAR Centers -- the centerpiece of NYSTAR, as enacted by Governor Pataki and the Legislature in 1999 -- will help New York achieve even greater prominence in making significant contributions to science, producing next generation technology and building on the economic gains achieved during the past six years.

Today's announcement builds on the Governor's $1 billion high-tech, biotech Centers of Excellence initiative unveiled in his State of the State address in January. During the past four months, the Governor has announced more than $200 million in private sector support for Centers of Excellence in Rochester, Albany and Long Island. A substantially greater amount of private sector support are expected as additional Centers of Excellence are announced.

Governor Pataki also recently announced that five Centers for Advanced Technology (CATs) across New York State had been awarded a total of $10 million through the State's CAT Development Program, including $2.5 million for two CATs in New York City.

By creating world-recognized academic research centers, New York has earned itself a place as a global leader in technology development. These select research centers will provide the impetus for the next round of high- tech growth in the State.

Since 1995, New York State has invested more than $730 million in the State's high-technology and biotechnology business sectors and research laboratories and academic institutions. More information about the STAR Center program and the types of research that will be conducted may be found at NYSTAR's Web page at www.nystar.state.ny.us/stardetails.htm.