New York's Senator
CHARLES E. SCHUMER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 13, 2001

SCHUMER CLEARS 1^ST MAJOR HURDLE IN EFFORT TO STEER FEDERAL DOLLARS TO ROCHESTER "CENTER OF EXCELLENCE"

Senator gets $4million for optics research at proposed research facility included in the US Senate's Energy and Water appropriations bill

Funding would be the first federal contribution to the high-tech effort; Schumer working to fight for more federal dollars down the road
US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee has included $4 million for the proposed Infotonics Center of Excellence in Rochester in the FY02 Energy and Water Appropriations bill.

This funding, which Schumer personally secured in the bill, would be the first federal contribution to the Center of Excellence since the project was announced earlier this year and would be used to develop the technology behind devices such as miniature cameras that doctors use to look for tumors and micro- chips that improve a computer's memory capabilities.
"This is incredible news for this effort," Schumer said. "We've taken a big step today in starting to steer the first of what I hope will be millions of research dollars into the Center of Excellence. This is the beginning of a project that has the potential to revolutionize the Rochester economy for years to come. "

Schumer said that federal research opportunities at the Center of Excellence will give students at area universities the chance to work on cutting edge technology while simultaneously giving Kodak, Xerox, Corning and other companies the chance to be full partners in the broad-based opto-electronics research that is too generalized and expensive for them to conduct alone.
"The Center of Excellence will solidify the optics industry's ties to the Rochester area and confirm the city's place as the world leader in these high-tech sciences, Schumer said. "It's got the potential to create thousands of new jobs and opportunities for the area."

Over the last 18 months, Schumer has been working with Corning, Kodak, Xerox and the State to create a world class research facility geared towards developing Rochester's u nrivaled expertise in optical data transmission, switching, data storage and imaging - research areas that the National Academy of Sciences believes have the greatest potential for growth in the coming years. The $75 million Kodak, Corning and Xerox have agreed to put up for the Center will be matched by the state and will help researchers leverage up to $150 million in federal funding.
The plan for the Rochester facility was created two years ago when a Washington lobbyist tried to create a national center of optics research in St. Louis. Schumer successfully led an effort to quash that proposal and used the "scare from the Midwest" to garner local support for a facility in Rochester.

"They wanted to build an optics research center 800 miles west of the world's optics capital and its main companies. That's like building an airplane research facility a few thousand miles away from Boeing or Lockheed," Schumer said.

The Center of Excellence is one component of Schumer's efforts to attract new investment to Upstate New York. In March, he brought a number of venture capitalists to Rochester to meet with area executives and get a firsthand look at the city's investment climate. He has also hosted four forums with site selectors - consultants who advise businesses about where to locate - and local economic development officials in New York City, Buffalo and Syracuse.

Schumer has also focused on improving air service to the region. This spring, he delivered on his pledge to have the low-cost carrier JetBlue serving three Upstate cities by August 2001 - JetBlue now serves Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse. Schumer believes that JetBlue's arrival will pave the way for new businesses that had previously stayed away from Upstate because of high airfares and said that he is continuing to look for other low-cost airlines that will serve the region.

"Low-cost air service is one vital piece of the economic puzzle. Another piece is making sure that local officials are able to meet with the right people to sell their respective regions. And a third is developing local industries through projects like the Center of Excellence" Schumer said. "We've made some progress on all these fronts, but still have a lot more work to do before the Upstate economy gets to where it can and should be."
The Energy and Water Appropriations bill now heads to the full Senate for consideration. Schumer expects the $4 million for the Center of Excellence to be included in the final version of the bill.

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