From the Rochester Business Journal at http://www.rbj.net/article.asp?aID=210763
The competition that will award more than $200 million to create a manufacturing institute focused on the photonics industry will be launched soon, and Rochester is a prime candidate, officials announced Friday.
The Department of Defense will lead the competition designed to establish a photonics hub, Sen Charles Schumer, D-NY., said.
Albany also is positioned to be a hub, he said.
“Rochester is the world capital of optics and photonics and that’s why I’ve been fighting like heck for over two years to get this investment,” Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Perinton, said in a statement.
“What the world wants most in optics and photonics is already being developed right here in Rochester. We’ve got the manufacturing facilities, the research institutions, the highly skilled workforce, and now we have the public-private investment opportunity we need to get this industry to the next level.”
A bill to create several institutes for manufacturing innovation has passed the House of Representatives and is working its way through Congress, Schumer said.
“This manufacturing institute will have a transformative impact on our local economy that will help support the thousands of jobs we already have in this industry, and potentially bring many more to Rochester,” Slaughter said in her statement.
“Our region has been leading the world in optics and photonics for decades, which is why we’re going to pursue this competition aggressively.”
Eastman Business Park, the University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology and the CNSE Smart Systems Technology & Commercialization Center in Canandaigua make the Rochester area an ideal spot, Schumer said.
“I have long been a supporter of Upstate New York’s photonics and optics industry, and have pushed to help create just this type of competition to leverage all of the expertise and technical know-how in photonics—in Rochester, Albany and cities across New York—to build on that strong foundation, create jobs and lead our nation in this cutting-edge industry,” Schumer said, in a statement.