The first of four SUNY Networks of Excellence to support research collaboration between SUNY and industry partners has been launched by the state university, according to an announcement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.

The plan is to spur commercialization activities.

This “SUNY 4E” network will focus on societal challenges in energy, the environment, economics, and education.

SUNY Networks of Excellence are part of the governor’s plans for START-UP NY, incubator “Hot Spots,” the New York State Venture Capital Fund and the NYS Innovation Network, to foster entrepreneurialism and economic growth through public-private partnerships and give researchers tools to bring their ideas to market.

Each network will assemble scientists and scholars from SUNY campuses across the state to collaborate on topic-specific joint research programs.

“Building collaborative networks of researchers across SUNY improves our ability to compete for new grant dollars, and exposes our faculty and staff to the kind of intellectual environment that will enrich, educate, and sustain our students into the future,” said Dr. Tim Killeen, President of the SUNY Research Foundation (RF) and SUNY Vice Chancellor for Research.

The SUNY Research Foundation has committed $4 million to support the Research Networks of Excellence. Each network will be coordinated by a consortium of SUNY campuses, which will jointly direct and oversee a competitive grant award process.

The first competitive grant process begins for the design of SUNY 4E. Coordinating SUNY 4E are the University at Albany, Binghamton University, and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF).

Future networks will include SUNY Health Now, SUNY Brain, and SUNY Materials and Advanced Manufacturing.

Applications for SUNY 4E funding are due by October 1, 2013 for projects beginning December 1, 2013. Projects must be completed within one year. Funding is available for:

· Inter/cross-disciplinary, multi-investigator, multi-campus collaborative research projects and pilot studies;

· Travel funds for investigators from across SUNY campuses to meet to establish and develop partnerships;

· Speaker series that bring together SUNY faculty and visiting scholars to examine new trends and review promising findings;

· Student exchanges (including the opportunity for research experiences for undergraduates) between SUNY campuses to build collaborative efforts; and/or

· Workshops/Institutes for SUNY faculty and visiting scholars.