Governor Kathy Hochul announced the $350 million Long Island Investment Fund awarded its next three grants totaling $46.5 million: $30 million for Farmingdale State College to build a Center for Computer Science and Information Technology, $10 million for Long Island University to build a College of Science Applied Research and Innovation facility, and $6.5 million for Stony Brook University to construct a new Quantum Internet Test Bed.
The Governor also announced that Farmingdale State College’s new Center for Computer Science and Information Technology will be fully funded by the State and will use $45 million from the State University of New York Construction Fund for the project in addition to the $30 million from the LIIF. With these projects, the Long Island Investment Fund has invested $56.5 million, leveraging another $122 million in public and private dollars, to help drive economic growth on Long Island, and will create hundreds of new jobs on Long Island and support the education and training of thousands.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican who has been outspoken against the policies of Democrats and those of Governor Hochul, applauded the investment. It’s not every day you see a political figure on one side of the aisle actually reach out and give credit to the other side when credit is due.
“While the Governor and I don’t always see eye-to-eye, I welcome the $46.5 million in state funds being invested in our local colleges to prepare students for careers in high-technology fields. Partnerships with our universities is one that we must continue to nurture and support, and I compliment the Governor for her commitment” said Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
“Through the Long Island Investment Fund, my administration is committed to making Long Island our nation’s premier corridor for life sciences and research innovation,” Governor Hochul said. “The awards announced today will help create jobs in cutting-edge sectors, boost workforce training, and support nation-leading innovation right here in New York. As we attract and retain top talent through our investments in state-of-the-art research facilities and infrastructure, Long Island is where the future is being imagined.”
Included as part of Governor Hochul’s FY 2023 Enacted Budget, the Long Island Investment Fund focuses on projects that will support and grow the regional economy, enhance communities, and have lasting economic impacts across Long Island. The Long Island Investment Fund awarded its first grant of $10 million to The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research to construct new state-of-the-art labs to support medical and infectious disease research. To date, the Fund has allocated $56.5 million to projects that will support transformative projects to strengthen Long Island’s economy.
Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “The latest Long Island Investment Fund projects demonstrate the potential for transformative job, higher-ed and industry growth throughout the region. Investing in workforce development and partnering with Long Island’s top-tier educational institutions will help to create a tech talent pipeline that will benefit industries in one of New York State’s premier life science hubs.”
Empire State Development Board Chairman Kevin Law said, “Long Island is home to pioneering institutions that catalyze innovative technology and strengthen the region’s workforce. Today’s announcement will support initiatives to improve communication technology and help the region’s top schools train the talent for careers in growing tech industries, ultimately creating good-paying jobs while meeting business demand.”
Long Island Regional Economic Development Council Co-Chair Linda Armyn, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at Bethpage Federal Credit Union said, “With these latest awards, the Long Island Investment Fund is boosting the region’s innovation economy by building on and strengthening our already exceptional education and technology assets. These strategic LIIF-fueled partnerships are working to create jobs and opportunity, both today and for Long Island’s future.”
President and CEO of the Long Island Association Matt Cohen said, “Innovation will drive our economy forward and these investments in high-tech facilities will further solidify the Long Island region as a hub for scientific discovery and job creation. I applaud the Governor’s focus on our region’s research assets.”
Farmingdale State College – Center for Computer Science and Information Technology
Awarded $30 million from the LIIF, Farmingdale State College will construct a $75 million, 40,000 square foot Center for Computer Science and Information Technology on its campus, also leveraging $45 million from the SUNY Construction Fund. The new building will house seven programs that form the academic Division of Computing as well as modernized classrooms, a student engagement space, and innovation labs. It will also include space for regional business engagement, for workforce IT training for Long Island nonprofits to train unemployed and underemployed individuals. Each space will be equipped with the latest digital collaboration technology designed to encourage creativity and to provide students and local business owners with the opportunity to come together to innovate and share ideas.
These educational and training activities will produce a new generation of employees poised for sustainable, well-paying jobs, supporting the growth of the region and state’s future workforce.
Long Island University – College of Science Applied Research and Innovation
Awarded $10 million from the LIIF, Long Island University will construct a new $40 million College of Science Applied Research and Innovation facility on LIU’s Post campus in Brookville. The 40,000 square foot College of Science will house new majors in cutting-edge fields including artificial intelligence, digital engineering, and drug discovery and production. The new building will also support groundbreaking life sciences research and will include incubator and accelerator space to house start up technology businesses who will commercialize innovation and discovery generated in the building, as well as leverage research from LIU’s School of Pharmacy and Veterinary medicine.
The awards announced today will help create jobs in cutting-edge sectors, boost workforce training, and support nation-leading innovation right here in New York.
The life sciences industry has become a powerful growth engine for New York State, turning key regions of the state into dynamic life science hubs that includes organizations and institutions dedicated to various stages of research, development, technology transfer and commercialization. LIU’s new facility will support economic growth in the region, create jobs, contribute to research and development of new scientific and medical interventions, and accelerate Long Island’s growing life sciences economy and attract private sector investment in cutting-edge biotech industry sectors.
Stony Brook University – Long Island Quantum Internet Testbed
Awarded $6.5 million from the LIIF, Stony Brook University, in collaboration with Brookhaven National Labs, will construct a new $13 million Quantum Internet Test Bed. The Long Island Quantum Internet Testbed will be a network of five nodes that are physically connected using commercially available optical fiber. The Long Island Quantum Internet Testbed will be overseen by the Long Island Quantum Internet Center, located at Stony Brook University and in partnership with Brookhaven National Laboratory. The Center will catalyze new technologies to accelerate today’s internet functionality, to improve the security of our communications, and to enable dramatic advances in computing.
The Center will grow to include other New York State universities, laboratories and industry partners with research teams dedicated to investigating and implementing the new applications of quantum technology in the context of telecommunications and the internet. The project will establish Long Island as a global hub of quantum internet technology development and bring together researchers, educators, investors in a collaborative effort to accelerate the commercialization of quantum internet technologies.
State Senator Anna M. Kaplan said, “Thanks to smart investments by the State of New York in partnership with the private sector, Long Island’s scientific research industry is growing and thriving, bringing great jobs to our community, and driving innovation that will make our world a better place. I fought for the Long Island Investment Fund to be included in this year’s state budget because we need to continue making smart investments in our community that build on our many strengths and make our region more attractive for private investors and job creators to set up shop and expand their operations locally. I’m thrilled that, thanks to this fund, our world-class higher education institutions will be able to invest in new facilities that will push the boundaries of scientific discovery, and ensure that our region remains competitive for generations to come.”
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said, “I am pleased to join with Governor Hochul on this program that will benefit the economy of Nassau County and the whole Long Island Region. The partnership with our universities is one that we must continue to nurture and support and I compliment the Governor for her commitment.”
