Plug Power, Cree, Velan Studios, Verizon 5G Labs executives among notable speakers November 8-9 at Turning Stone Resort
Annual technology showcase expanded to include FuzeHub’s Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund Commercialization Competition
Registration is now open – click here
VERONA, N.Y. — The New York State Innovation Summit, an annual showcase and celebration of technology and discovery, will make its return November 8 and 9 at the Turning Stone Resort in Verona, Oneida County. The annual Summit brings together New York’s brightest minds, most promising tech and manufacturing companies and most resourceful innovation support services. It leads to new connections and collaborations that have the potential to accelerate technology-led economic growth.
Through a series of speakers, breakout sessions and pitch sessions, attendees are given opportunities to demonstrate, discover and collaborate on new and emerging technologies. The Summit is organized by NYSTAR, Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation, and FuzeHub, the statewide center for the New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NY MEP).
The Summit is back this year after the 2020 event, which had been planned for the Mohawk Valley, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2019 Summit, held in Rochester, attracted more than 500 innovators, business leaders and entrepreneurs, as well as 100-plus exhibitors, providing a boost to area hotels, restaurants and attractions.
Several prominent executives and leaders are scheduled to speak at the 2021 Summit, including Plug Power President and CEO Andrew Marsh, Cree President and CEO Gregg Lowe, Velan Studios President Guha Bala, and Verizon 5G Labs Senior Manager Joshua Ness.
NYSTAR Senior Vice President Matt Watson said, “This year’s lineup not only illustrates the strength of New York State’s innovation economy, but also represents some of its key sectors: clean technology, semiconductors, digital gaming and information technology. And with a $1 billion chip fabrication plant rising near Utica, the Mohawk Valley is the perfect location to showcase — and accelerate — our state’s technological prowess. Many attendees and exhibitors — including companies represented by our keynoters — have received support from NYSTAR’s extensive network. The Summit brings them together to spur even more growth, which in turn creates jobs and strengthens New York’s economic future. We look forward to the return of this vital event and to the inevitable success stories that will be traced back to November 2021 at the New York State Innovation Summit.”
At the Summit, NYSTAR and FuzeHub will feature companies and researchers at the forefront of advancements in technologies and production capabilities. Experts in several areas — including biotechnology, new materials, energy innovation and artificial intelligence — will explore current technology convergence opportunities, ways to quicken commercialization, and issues of manufacturing sustainability.
During the breakout sessions, participants will learn about:
- Economic development in New York, including today’s capital funding landscape and the state-supported programs that provide critical resources and incentives for manufacturing and technology companies.
- National trends related to the future of electronics packaging and manufacturing, innovations that protect our waters and promote sustainable food production, and emerging strategies for manufacturers in a post-COVID era.
- Disruptive technologies, including the wide-ranging impact of quantum breakthroughs, the competitive advantages of harnessing data and artificial intelligence, and the opportunities that exist for innovators in biotechnology and advanced healthcare.
New to the Summit in 2021 is FuzeHub’s annual Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund Commercialization Competition. Now in its fifth year, the Commercialization Competition awards significant funding to companies from across New York State. Finalists pitch their innovations in front of a live audience, and a panel of industry experts select the winners based on the commercialization potential of their technologies.
At last year’s Commercialization Competition, FuzeHub and NYSTAR awarded a total of $300,000 to six companies.
FuzeHub Executive Director Elena Garuc said, “At the heart of each Innovation Summit has been the potential for commercialization of cutting-edge technology developed and manufactured in New York State. That’s what makes our Commercialization Competition a natural fit — I expect the bar to be higher than ever before. As in the past, startups and manufacturers will also have access to resources from NYSTAR and NY MEP to help them get to the next level.”
For the latest on the summit, visit nysinnovationsummit.com.
About NYSTAR
Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation – known as NYSTAR – advances technology innovation and commercialization in New York State. NYSTAR offers programs that assist companies from start-up through maturity, leveraging the state’s unparalleled investment in world-class technology assets and expertise. It provides roughly $55 million annually in funding to support over 70 centers that provide direct assistance to New York State companies – a network of vital assets for enabling technology- and manufacturing-led growth and job creation. NYSTAR and its partners are proud to contribute to New York’s leadership in the global innovation economy. For more information, visit esd.ny.gov/nystar.
About FuzeHub
FuzeHub is a nonprofit organization that connects New York’s small and mid-sized manufacturing companies to the resources, programs and expertise they need for technology commercialization, innovation and business growth. Through its custom assessment, matching, and referral platform, FuzeHub helps companies navigate New York’s robust network of industry experts at Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers, universities, economic development organizations, and other providers. FuzeHub is the statewide New York MEP center, supported by Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology & Innovation. For more information on FuzeHub, visit www.fuzehub.com.
###