UAlbany’s CATN2 receives $10M from Empire State Development to support semiconductor, biotech, and smart tech research through public-private partnerships.

On Thursday, UAlbany revealed that its Center for Advanced Technology in Nanomaterials and Nanoelectronics (CATN2) has secured a new $10 million grant from Empire State Development, New York’s leading agency for economic development. Funding will be used for the facility's semiconductor and microelectronics research projects.

Established in 1993, CATN2 is housed at the Albany NanoTech Complex on Fuller Road and functions under the auspices of the College of Science, Nanotechnology, and Engineering. The funding will support both the industry's economic boom and the institution's ongoing development as a preeminent center for semiconductor research.

CATN2 executive director Michael Fancher thanked Empire State Development for its ongoing support, emphasizing how the center's knowledge of nanotechnology promotes innovation, outreach, teaching, and commercialization, and provides significant economic benefits to New York.

According to ESD President, CEO, and Commissioner Hope Knight, NYSTAR's (ESD's Division of Science, Innovation, and Technology) Centers for Advanced Technology, for the past forty years, have been essential to the growth of the New York State economy. New Yorkers will gain today from investments in the industries of the future, including more jobs, higher incomes, and new businesses deciding to locate in the Empire State.

Bravo to this set of designees who will undoubtedly contribute to the long and distinguished history of the CAT program. Existing programs supported by the $52 billion federal CHIPS and Science Act align with the ESD award. According to UAlbany, CATN2's efforts have also helped about 150 tech businesses in New York, creating over 1,750 jobs.