The Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council has won $500 million over the next five years in New York’s Upstate Revitalization Initiative, with Cornell involved in about $100 million worth of key projects funded by the grant.
Cornell is already deeply involved in promoting the state’s economy as New York’s land-grant university, and the revitalization initiative unveiled by Gov. Cuomo Dec. 10 will help spur a new innovation economy in the region, according to Cornell President Elizabeth Garrett. ”The plan also takes advantage of the Southern Tier’s abundant clean water, its location within a day’s drive of half the country’s population, and of CALS, one of the world’s elite agriculture schools,” she said.
Garrett said of the grant’s momentous importance: “This economic development investment will help the Southern Tier become a global leader in new agricultural technology and the breadbasket of the Northeast, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of revitalizing the Southern Tier and for Governor Cuomo’s vote of confidence in our region’s future.”
Read more from the Cornell Chronicle here.
