Empire State Development has approved SUNY Oswego’s Start-Up NY campus plan. The college can now begin reviewing applications from businesses interested in partnering with the college in the Start-Up NY initiative.
“Advancing our academic mission while creating jobs for our region is an exciting opportunity for our college, which is already an economic anchor in Central New York and the largest employer in Oswego County,” said college President Deborah F. Stanley.
Oswego’s newly approved plan designates more than 9 acres of land and nearly 10,500 square feet of office space as Start-Up NY tax-free zones for business development.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo in October 2013 launched Start-Up NY, providing major incentives for qualifying businesses to relocate or expand through affiliations with colleges and universities. Businesses have the opportunity to operate free of state and local taxes on or near academic campuses. Their employees will pay no state or local income taxes for 10 years.
The key qualification: The company must add new jobs, providing an economic lift to the surrounding community without endangering nearby competitors.
In Oswego, parcels along Route 104 near Romney Field House and near the Lake Ontario shore to the west of the main campus join space in the SUNY Oswego Phoenix Center and the Syracuse Tech Garden in the college’s initial efforts to attract new or expanding businesses to strengthen the regional economy and boost opportunities for students and faculty.
Leveraging academic strong suits at SUNY Oswego, the college plans to target innovation-oriented industry sectors: advanced manufacturing, robotics, information technology, automation control systems, sustainable and green processes, energy-related manufacturing, electronics and computer software, telecommunications and telemedicine.
For more information, visit oswego.edu/startupny or startup.ny.gov.