Buffalo’s status as a growing hub for technology and advanced manufacturing means that WNY is the beneficiary of regarded and high profile conferences such as The New York State Innovation Summit. On October 25 and 26, attendees will gather at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center where they will hear from industry leaders, university researchers, investors, economic developers, and government officials from across the state. The summit is meant to highlight New York’s innovation ecosystem, much of which is making its way to WNY.

This annual gathering – organized by Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) and FuzeHub, the statewide center for the New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NY MEP) – is in place to unveil new and emerging technologies, while showcasing the latest tech discoveries, breakthrough research, and manufacturing advancements.

According to summit organizers, Buffalo’s status as a growing hub for technology and advanced manufacturing was reaffirmed when the region received a $25 million award through President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Challenge. The grant will allow Western New York to further expand its advanced manufacturing capabilities, train more than 1,600 workers, ignite innovation and entrepreneurship and grow the economy. 

“Buffalo is emerging as one of the nation’s most watched and most collaborative tech ecosystems — which made it the perfect location for the New York State Innovation Summit. We want to showcase and celebrate what’s happening here to inspire the innovators and entrepreneurs who are driving positive change within their own communities across the state,” said FuzeHub Executive Director Elena Garuc. “With the promising startups, tech-forward manufacturers, brilliant researchers and collaborative partners that this event brings together, the New York State Innovation Summit has become one of the most important annual gatherings of our state’s innovation ecosystem.” 

“Every time we assemble our statewide innovation ecosystem in one place, unexpected interactions spark new collaborations focused on creating solutions to market challenges and launching entrepreneurial endeavors,” said Matt Watson, ESD Senior Vice President and NYSTAR Executive Director. “The New York State Innovation Summit is a unique opportunity for business leaders, innovators, investors and economic developers to have direct access to potential collaborators, the latest technologies and impactful state resources. We are excited to host the summit in the great City of Buffalo and look forward to the future innovations that will be born there.” 

Speakers, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities will revolve around industries such as semiconductors, biotechnology, advanced materials, clean technology, agriculture innovation, sustainable manufacturing, energy, software and digital technology, and cybersecurity.

Among the highlights of the Innovation Summit, FuzeHub’s annual Commercialization Competition will feature live pitches and award grants of up to $150,000 to high-potential startups and tech-forward small- to mid-sized manufacturers across New York State ($500,000 will be available, with funding going to the companies that show the greatest potential to commercialize their technology or product in ways that will support regional economic growth and solve important challenges.)

Discussions and keynote sessions include: 

• The Semiconductor Executive Roundtable will feature key leaders from several industry powerhouses — David Rooney, Principal of DMR Group; Alex Oscilowski, President of TEL Research; Balaji Suresh, VP Operations at L3 Harris; and Oliver Vatel, Senior Advisor at IBM Research. Together, they’ll discuss the federal CHIPS and Science Act, the state’s Green CHIPS Program and how New York is leading America’s microchip resurgence. 

• In a fireside chat, Niel Sandfort, the Chief Innovation Officer at Chobani, will share how this high-growth company takes products from delicious ideas to supermarket shelves. He’ll also explain how sourcing local ingredients — in this case, milk — enabled Chobani to thrive and not just survive the pandemic. 

• A discussion on Rebuilding US Manufacturing will be presented by Mojdeh Bahar, the associate director for innovation and industry services at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which oversees the federal Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program. 
• Attendees will be able to tour of the University at Buffalo’s Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics Life Sciences and its incubator, which are both NYSTAR-backed innovation resources that are accelerating growth within a critical industry regionally and statewide. 

• Breakout sessions will be held both days with topics that include the circular economy, emerging opportunities for New York State manufacturers in battery and energy storage, advanced materials and supply chain resilience, and statewide funding resources for manufacturing and technology companies. 

For the latest on the New York State Innovation Summit, including registration, visit nysinnovationsummit.com.