WINTER 2024

Message from NYSTAR Executive Director

Hello everyone! As we approach the end of 2024, I’m simultaneously in a moment of reflection and of looking ahead at things to come.

The past few months have been incredibly exciting ones, with many of our accelerators and competitions holding their events and finals (I’m so impressed with the caliber of the startups that these attract), as well as our New York State Innovation Summit in Syracuse, where the power of the NYSTAR network was in full display. When I do have a minute to step back and look at the breadth and depth of technology and innovation happening across New York, I am awestruck. And NYSTAR is its foundation, its scaffolding, and its fuel!

For this issue, I wanted to focus on a look ahead. That includes one of our newest members of the NYSTAR network (the Fashion Innovation Center), an emerging consortium (the New York Intelligent Imaging Partnership), and two areas of tech that I am personally excited about (Quantum and Space) that I expect to grow over the next years and decades with New York having a real opportunity to lead.

Happy Holidays to you all and thank you again for everything you do to make the NYSTAR network and New York the greatest place to be an innovator!

Ben Verschueren

Executive Director, NYSTAR

New York Fashion Innovation Center helps farmers unlock wool’s hidden potential

For years, farmers in New York State who bred sheep primarily for meat had few moneymaking opportunities for the wool shorn off their flocks, in part due to a lack of data about the quality of the fibers. Now, thanks to testing available through the NY Fashion Innovation Center, farmers have access to information about the fibers from their sheep, providing opportunities for additional revenue.

It’s the first testing facility of its kind on the East Coast and only the third in the United States, allowing farmers to know if their wool is suitable for wearable products (super fine), home furnishings (coarser), or natural fertilizer (coarsest). The process is one of the first steps in strengthening the state’s supply chain cycle for sustainable textiles.

“Our purpose is to advance sustainable fashion in New York,” said Ken Simons, director of the Fashion Innovation Center, a consortium created in 2023 and led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. “We’ve been taking a natural fibers approach because there’s already a substantial industry around wool and animal fibers in the state. It includes everything from the farms to the entire supply chain including spinning, weaving, and knitting through clothing manufacturing to retail. We’re trying to help make that practical in New York.”

Read more about wool fiber testing at the Fashion Innovation Center 

Powering the future of AI and intelligent imaging 

In his keynote address at the New York State Innovation Summit in October, Mark Helm, a senior fellow in Micron’s technology and products group, noted the vital importance of applying artificial intelligence to imaging as part of the next generation of semiconductor manufacturing. 

Paul Ballentine couldn’t help but smile. It was a validation of sorts for the recently created New York Intelligent Imaging Partnership, which works to leverage university and NYSTAR resources along with industry leadership to bring innovation and increased access to artificial intelligence tools used in intelligent imaging. 

The partnership began when the University of Rochester’s Center for Emerging and Innovative Sciences (CEIS) and Center of Excellence in Data Science looked at ways they could amplify their impact. 

“Imaging today is all digital, and AI is revolutionizing almost every aspect of it,” said Ballentine, executive director of CEIS. “Our goals are to create jobs, to incubate, grow and attract companies, and to build a national center here that will help accelerate that activity.” 

Working with the RIT Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science and corporate partners L3Harris and GE Healthcare, the partnership is initially focused on three key industries: healthcare, defense, and manufacturing. 

To help build the intelligent imaging ecosystem in New York, the partnership is working to establish a National Center of Intelligent Imaging, leaning into Rochester’s legacy as an innovator in the field and the more than 100 companies across the state working in various parts of the imaging chain. 

For more information visit the New York Intelligent Imaging Partnership or contact Paul Ballentine or Jan Van Aardt.  

New York’s quantum leap: How the NYSTAR network is driving innovation in computing and space tech

Photo credit: NYC HAQ

New York State is emerging as a leader in both quantum computing and space technology thanks to the robust NYSTAR network of research institutions, universities, and industry collaborations. From groundbreaking advancements in quantum hardware to space exploration projects, New York is shaping the future of these transformative fields.

As the IBM Quantum System One at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute brings global attention to the state's innovation, researchers across the state continue to enhance quantum technologies, particularly in the development of qubits—the building blocks of quantum computing. In space technology, NYSTAR centers are advancing innovations that will simplify and reduce the cost of space exploration.

In addition to technological advancements, New York is investing in the next generation of scientists and engineers by expanding educational opportunities while also facilitating networking and collaboration among researchers, industry leaders, and funders.

Read the latest NYSTAR blog to learn more about the ways in which New York is positioning itself as a hub for innovation in quantum computing and space exploration.

Check out the Invest NY platform for a sampling of upstate New York companies working in quantum and space tech.

Holiday Greetings

As we wrap up an incredible 2024, we hope that you will have the opportunity to step away from your daily duties for some rest, relaxation, and reflection. And, if the holidays provide some unstructured time to geek out on science, technology, and innovation media, here are a couple suggestions for your media playlist:

Planet Money recently did an episode about the history of EUV lithography relevant due to this announcement.

An oldie but a goodie – if you are curious to learn about how crazy and mind-blowing quantum mechanics are, listen to this podcast.