Posted on June 2, 2016 in ASRC News
Dr. Gillian Small participated in the plenary panel of the New York Bio Annual Conference on Wednesday, May 11 at the Time Warner Center, speaking on the growth of New York City as a bioscience and biotech hub.
The discussion centered on the efforts being undertaken by institutions throughout New York to build and grow the bioscience and biotech communities in the metro area to compete with traditional hubs in Boston and the Bay Area. Dr. Small, Vice Chancellor for Research and Executive Director of the ASRC, spoke specifically on the role academia played in the community development in the two research areas, and how institutions such as the CUNY ASRC will help put New York on equal footing with those other metros.
“Thanks to institutions like the Advanced Science Research Center, CUNY is helping to position New York City and the University at the forefront of bioscience and biotechnology research,” Small said. “Our role in the research corridor developing in Upper Manhattan alongside industry leaders in pharmaceutical, health and not for profit institutions has New York well placed to compete with traditional leaders in Boston and Northern California.”
The past five years have seen a stark improvement in life science research in New York. Thanks to investments from venture firms such as Versant Ventures, Arch Venture Partners and Flagship Ventures, as well as from research institutions such as CUNY, Columbia University, NYU Langone Medical Center, Weill Cornell Medical College and others, there is reason for optimism that New York can become home to the startup companies that drive innovation in the life sciences.
In addition to the increased investments into a supportive biotech infrastructure, startup incubators such as the CUNY Hub for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (iHUB) provide space for startups to establish their companies while building on their initial financial backing. Coordinating with the nearby New York Structural Biology Center, the ASRC serves a key component in the more collaborative environment necessary for the startups hosted at the iHUB to succeed.
Dr. Small, Vice Chancellor for Research and Executive Director of the CUNY ASRC, served on the panel that also included Marc Tessier-Lavigne, President of The Rockefeller University; Maria Torres-Springer, President and CEO of the NYC Economic Development Corporation; and Susan L. Solomon, CEO and Co-Founder of the New York Stem Cell Foundation.
The New York Bio Annual Conference is one of the largest life science business conferences in the United States and allows emerging companies, academic investigators, institutional investors and senior biotech executives to discuss and shape the future of the biotech industry in New York.
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About the ASRC: The CUNY Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) is a University-wide venture that elevates CUNY’s legacy of scientific research and education through initiatives in five distinctive, but increasingly interconnected disciplines: Nanoscience, Photonics, Structural Biology, Neuroscience and Environmental Sciences. Led by Dr. Gillian Small, Vice Chancellor for Research and the ASRC’s executive director, the center is designed to promote a unique, interdisciplinary research culture. Researchers from each of the initiatives work side by side in the ASRC’s core facilities, sharing equipment that is among the most advanced available. Funding for the ASRC from New York State is gratefully acknowledged.
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