CU Agriculture and Food Tech Park receives $2.8 million fed grant

By Linda McCandless

GENEVA, N.Y. -- The Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park has received $2.8 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The grant will help fund the cost of site preparation and construction of the first building in the 74-acre research park, located adjacent to Cornell's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. The park is for start-up and established companies to carry out research and related activities in agriculture, food and biotechnology.

U.S. Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.-24th Dist.) came to Geneva June 13 to announce the grant, which was presented by Matthew Crow of the federal Economic Development Administration (EDA).

"This investment will serve as a real boon to the local economy, and the extended impact will be immeasurable," said Boehlert, who is chair of the House Science Committee. "This type of public/private partnership is what will lead to better economic prosperity for Geneva and all of upstate New York. Biotechnology is an up-and-coming field with significant growth potential. I'm pleased that Geneva will be able to take advantage of this opportunity."

"Friday, June 13th, was a good day for New York state food and agriculture," said Agricultural Experiment Station Director James E. Hunter. "This is a major grant for the EDA and demonstrates the federal government's confidence in the soundness of the park concept. There is much more work to be done, but the board of directors, city and county officials, and the state and federal governments have forged the partnership that has enabled us to get to the point where the park is not just a vision. Our goal is to break ground this fall."

"As we all know, government can't create jobs, but it can set the stage for investment and innovation through economic development grants like these," said EDA communications director Crow. This investment will help, he said, "grow and retain the biotechnology brain trust in New York state by expanding the critical mass of high-tech scientists who would draw on industry interests and involvement in cutting-edge science occurring at the Geneva Experiment Station and Cornell."

In 1995 the Experiment Station completed a comprehensive Campus Master Plan that proposed the development of a public-private research zone. Adopted by Cornell and the New York State University Construction Fund, this concept evolved into the plan to create an Agricultural and Food Technology Park in partnership with the city of Geneva, the Geneva Industrial Development Agency (IDA), the Ontario County IDA, New York State Electric and Gas Corp. and New York State Sen. Michael Nozzolio (R-54th Dist.).

While this investment has been actively pursued by Cornell since 1995, it became a reality in 2001 when the EDA approved an investment of $450,000 for engineering design for park infrastructure and the first building. Both of these actions have been completed, and the project is poised for construction.

This investment will involve high-paying technology jobs along what New York Gov. George Pataki has designated as a "high-tech corridor" from Albany to Buffalo, involving university-related research. An EDA analysis predicts over 600 jobs in agriculture, food and biotechnology will be created at the park.

Designs for the first building at the park were unveiled in Geneva in May. The 20,000-square-foot "flexible technology" building will meet a range of needs associated with food, agricultural and biotechnology research. Site designs show the possible placement of subsequent buildings, including a proposed USDA Grape Genetics Laboratory. Phytobials LLC, a new company built around research conducted at the Experiment Station, has expressed its intention to be one of the first tenants of the flex-tech building.

Everything about the park is designed to enhance scientific collaboration and synergy. Over 50 Cornell faculty conduct research and extension programs from the Geneva Experiment Station and provide links to many researchers in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences on the main campus in Ithaca. Access to Cornell entomologists, plant pathologists, plant breeders, geneticists, biologists, chemists, food scientists and technicians with years of experience in their fields will appeal to companies looking for a location for their research and development efforts.

Tenants could run the gamut from plant genomics companies to the research arms of international food-processing firms. The incubator research building will house biological and chemical wet labs, engineering and information technology and facilities for service organizations that provide regulatory and marketing assistance. Larger companies and federal agencies could construct facilities tailored to their needs, opening the door to larger research operations.