As chairman of the Assembly Task Force on University-Industry Cooperation, I recently sponsored a Roundtable in Albany on New York State's Centers of Excellence. I was joined by Assemblyman Ron Canestrari, chair of the Legislative Committee on Higher Education; and Assemblyman William Scarborough, chair of the Assembly Commission on Skills Development and Career Education.

The purpose of this event was to gather information about the progress in constructing, renovating and equipping the State's five Centers of Excellence, as well as the progress made in their research and development, workforce training and job creation agendas. The Centers are collaborative research and development and product commercialization endeavors among university communities, industries, the State and federal government, as well as private and non-profit investors.

This roundtable discussion served to facilitate a dialog between elected officials and New York's Centers of Excellence. These Centers, located throughout our great State link education with industry - an alliance that will strengthen our economy by creating and retaining valuable job opportunities for New Yorkers.

The roundtable focused on an examination of each of the Centers including their infrastructure, organization, and operation; short- and long-range goals; problems or issues facing the Centers as they progress with their missions; State funds received to date; ability to secure funding from sources other than the State (public, private, federal, non-profit); actual and anticipated job creation; workforce training initiatives; and business interaction.

Representatives from each of the Centers attended the event and provided valuable information. It is anticipated that exchanges between the Centers and the Assembly will continue so that progress can be assessed and accountability maintained on an ongoing basis.

By working together we can accomplish great things. I look forward to the work the Task Force on University-Industry Cooperation will do with our Centers of Excellence and our communities.

The 2003-04 State budget provided $250 million for the establishment of five Centers of Excellence at various Universities across New York:

• Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics, University at Buffalo
• Center of Excellence in Environmental Systems, Syracuse University
• Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics, University at Albany
• Center of Excellence in Photonics and Microsystems, Rochester
• Center of Excellence on Wireless Internet & Information Technologies, State University of New York at Stony Brook

In his 2004-05 budget proposal the governor included an additional $4 million allocation for the Center of Excellence in Syracuse. These funds will help expand the Center of Excellence in Environmental Systems to include research and development in renewable and clean energy sources, placing Central New York in the forefront of a new job creating endeavor.