ITHACA -- Cornell University is on the verge of becoming a center
of economic development that would link business creation components
together in economically depressed areas across New York state to
create new, high paying jobs, President Jeffrey Lehman said on
Monday.
Lehman's remarks came during a speech he gave during an event
held by Tompkins County Area Development. The speech was the
president's first public appearance since he announced his
resignation on Saturday.
"When I look at technology transfer, economic development and the
mission of Cornell, I believe that great things lie ahead," Lehman
said. "I think that the historic partnership between Cornell and
TCAD has a lot to do with that."
Lehman said the university has a pending application to become an
Economic America Development Center, which would receive state and
federal funding. The center would be formed by a combination of the
university's Cornell Center for Technology, Enterprise and
Commercialization, and its Rural Economic Development Institute.
The partnership would link technological innovation and business
creation with entrepreneurs and business in economically depressed
areas. The partnership would help existing businesses become more
competitive, Lehman said.
"The Economic America Development Center will create background
conditions that allow the fruits of university research to be used
in ways that will dramatically improve people's lives," Lehman said.
"If the proposal becomes successful ... I think it can provide a new
model for technology transfer that can be used by other land grant
universities in other states."
The center would allow Cornell to capture federal dollars and
inject them into communities to help create better economic
conditions, Lehman said during an interview after his speech.
"This is an accelerated form of economic development that is
harmonious with the values of local communities," Lehman said. "It
is great that the federal government supports that kind of vision."
The new center would become another arm in Cornell's arsenal of
technology transfer and economic development initiatives.
Lehman highlighted other initiatives during the speech, including
some of the 36 start-up companies that have been created with the
help of the Cornell Center for Technology, Enterprise and
Commercialization during the last five years. And with the opening
of Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park in Geneva and the
continued success of the its business and technology park on Warren
Road, the university is in a good position to continue those
efforts, Lehman said.
TCAD works closely with Cornell to identify start-ups that would
be suited to set up shop in this area, Michael Stamm, president of
TCAD, said.
"We work closely with the CCTEC staff, but we also recognize that
some new businesses and technologies are not good strategic fits for
Ithaca and the Tompkins County area," Stamm said. "We are looking
for companies that make sense. Those are the ones that we focus on."
Lehman said that though Cornell has had success with technology
transfer, its main goal is still the education of students.
"Our central mission is always that coupled with the mission for
transformative research," Lehman said after his speech. "That
research has an impact on the larger world where economic
development comes indirectly."
