CASE Center of Syracuse University, Syracuse Chamber of Commerce’s Technology Garden announce partnership

CASE Center of Syracuse University, Syracuse Chamber of Commerce’s Technology Garden announce partnershipSeptember 21, 2004Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

The CASE Center of Syracuse University and the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce have announced that they intend to work jointly to assist the growth of the entrepreneurial community in Central New York.

“With the pending opening of the Chamber’s Syracuse Technology Garden this fall and the recent 10-year renewal of the CASE Center’s designation as a Center for Advanced Technology, the two organizations see this as an excellent opportunity to structure a winning partnership that will help to boost the high technology economy of the region,” says CASE Center Director Shiu-Kai Chin.

The partnership stems from strong ties between the two organizations-Chamber President David Cordeau is a member of CASE’s newly structured Advisory Board; CASE Associate Director Roger Trabucco will serve on the Admissions Committee for the Chamber’s Syracuse Technology Garden. The Chamber and the CASE Center have also agreed to merge two groups that share common objectives: The CASE Center’s Information Technology Roundtable and the Chamber’s X-Tech/Technology Council.

“The intention is to bring together elements of the University community and the regional business community to focus on technology innovations and business applications,” says CASE Associate Director Roger Trabucco. Meetings will be held alternatively at the CASE Center and the Technology Garden and meeting topics will be jointly developed. According to the Nasir Ali, Chamber VP for New Venture Development, “combining the two technology groups will allow us to leverage resources, eliminate duplication of presentation topics and attract experts from around the country to inform local audiences about interesting areas of technology innovation.”

As part of the Chamber-CASE joint efforts, it is envisioned that each incubator’s tenants will be able to benefit from services offered by both organizations. Among the benefits of CASE membership are access to faculty, students, equipment, libraries and University Centers. The Syracuse Technology Garden will be providing mentors, networking opportunities and access to a broad business network covering areas such as legal, financial, human resources, and marketing. Both organizations have strong access to capital sources. Additional details of the incubation affiliation process will be announced as planning proceeds.

The Syracuse Technology Garden is a project of the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneurial Council. Syracuse Technology Garden clients will typically be interested in developing a new technology or implementing a unique application of known or emerging technologies. Most of the incubator’s clients are likely to be in the early stages of venture formation and product development. Other Chamber entrepreneurial support initiatives include www.SyracuseEntrepreneur.com, the CNY Angel investor group, and a mentor network of active and retired executives and technology experts.

The CASE Center functions as a full-service New York State Center for Advanced Technology, partially funded by the New York State Office of Science, Technology & Academic Research (NYSTAR). CASE’s mission is to contribute to the high technology economy of New York State through applied research efforts within its extensive Information Technology focus areas of high-assurance software and systems (including cyber-security and verification), distributed networks and data mining (including sensor networks and information fusion), and wireless telecommunications (including electromagnetics and microwave technologies). CASE’s activities include a broad array of research projects with companies throughout New York State and workforce development programs. CASE’s incubator focuses on faculty start-ups and companies within its technology focus areas that would significantly benefit from a location on a University campus. Over the past five years, CASE has documented more than $141 million in economic impact for companies doing business in New York State.

For more information on the Syracuse Technology Garden, contact Nasir Ali, vice president for new venture development, at (315) 470-1800 or nali@SyracuseChamber.com. For more information on the CASE Center, contact Roger Trabucco, associate director, at (315) 443-1064 or trabucco@syr.edu.