Time Warner Cable News: Colleges of Nanoscale Science and
Engineering Epitomize Success of Tech Valley

Time Warner Cable News: Colleges of Nanoscale Science and
Engineering Epitomize Success of Tech Valley

Published:
Wednesday, July 29, 2015 - 11:14
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I wanted to share with you the following article and attached video that were produced by Time Warner Cable News:

 

When most people hear Tech Valley, they immediately think of the Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) in Albany. For the last decade-plus, the college has attracted people and businesses from around the world. In part 2 of "Tech Valley: A Region Reinvented," Jon Dougherty shows how it quickly became the epicenter of Tech Valley.

 

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ALBANY, N.Y. -- Until the late 1990s, there wasn't much but open land at the I-90/I-87 interchange in Albany.

Today, it's a different scene as SUNY Poly College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering now occupies a big chunk of that land.

"The eyes of technology were on Albany to see if this model would work," said Michael Fancher, CNSE vice president for business development and economic outreach.

The vision of government, technology and education leaders, CNSE became the most advanced research complex of its kind at any university in the world in the early 2000s.

"Right now it would be very difficult for another region to compete in our space," said Capital Region Chamber CEO Mark Eagan. "I'm not saying it can't happen, but you're talking about major, major investments."

With the emergence of SUNY Poly CNSE, Tech Valley started to catch the attention of global tech companies, one in particular, GlobalFoundries.

Currently employing about 3,000, GlobalFoundries' Fab Eight facility in Malta touts itself as the "world's most advanced semiconductor production facility."

It wasn't the only company that came with the help of CNSE -- so did the likes of IBM and Intel.

"The model did work and we ended having SEMATECH move up to Albany as well as the leading computer chip and supply chain partners," Fancher said.

To date, more than $20 billion has been invested into its campus that has more than 1 million square feet of space. It's used by around 4,000 students, faculty and outside companies. It even has a high school on site.

"When that flower really blossomed is when private investment went in and it continues to multiply and multiply, and our region and our state are benefiting because of that," Eagan said.

CNSE is getting ready to open its newest building, the ZEN building, which will focus on clean and renewable energy technologies.

Since its small beginnings, the nano college also became a backbone of Tech Valley, and promises more breakthroughs are on the way.

"There are some technology drivers on the horizon that will radically transform the way we not only communicate and compute but also the way that we sense and approach a variety of problems like health care and what have you," said Fancher.

 

Jon Dougherty | July 28, 2015

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