ROME, NY — On Tuesday, December 20, the Griffiss Institute expressed their appreciation to the community for their support of the AFRL Commercialization Academy at a Program Overview and Funder Appreciation Event.
Community Funders recognized at the ceremony were: New York Business Development Corporation, NBT Bank, Bank of Utica, Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, Oneida County, Oneida County Industrial Development Agency, National Grid, IgniteU NY and NYSTEC.
Through the generous support of these organization, the Commercialization Academy has successfully realized the development of 20+ tech startups in the past three years. These startups use technology developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate (AFRL/RI, Rome Lab) via the Griffiss Institute Partnership Intermediary Agreement to facilitate technology transfer. The Community Funders have enabled defrayed costs associated with business development to assist the startups, as well as cash awards during the Commercialization Academy’s Demo Days, where startups teams pitch their businesses to a panel of judges and to the audience.
The Academy has been recognized nationally as a unique and innovative way to commercialize technology developed in the Federal Laboratory structure, as well as creating a stronger local economy based upon this technology.
For further information on the Commercialization Academy and how to become a program supporter, please go to www.griffissinstitute.org/who-we-work-with/afrl/tech-transfer/commercialization-academy.
Photo 1: Bill Wolf, Griffiss Institute president; Evan DeGennaro, NYSTEC economic development manager; Frank Hoke, Griffiss Institute technical director; and Michele Salisbury, NYSTEC CFO & economic development and outreach director, stand together at the AFRL Commercialization Academy Program Overview and Funder Thank You.
Photo 2: Frank Hoke, technical director at Griffiss Institute, and Bill Wolf, president at Griffiss Institute, thank Oneida County Industrial Development Agency’s Ferris Betrus, Jr. for their support the AFRL Commercialization Academy program.