ROME, NY — February 6, 2025 — The Griffiss Institute proudly announces a new strategic partnership with The City University of New York (CUNY), solidified through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) effective July 1, 2024. This landmark collaboration positions CUNY as the newest member of the Innovare Alliance, a group of industrial organizations and higher educational institutions that work collectively to expand opportunities for cutting-edge research, education, and entrepreneurship in upstate New York and beyond.
This collaboration establishes a framework for Griffiss Institute and CUNY to:
- Enhance Technical Education: Co-design programs that prepare individuals for careers in engineering, computer science, and related fields, with a focus on cybersecurity, machine learning, quantum information sciences, and autonomous systems.
- Promote Experiential Learning: Offer opportunities for CUNY students, faculty, and alumni to participate in internships, research projects, and entrepreneurial activities with Griffiss Institute’s network of government and industry partners.
- Drive Regional Innovation: Create an environment for developing transformative ideas and translating them into commercially viable technologies.
“We’re excited to welcome CUNY to the Innovare Alliance,” said Seth Mulligan, Chief Operating Officer of Griffiss Institute. “Their addition strengthens our ecosystem of academic, government, and industry partners, advancing our mission to equip the next generation of innovators with the resources they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world.”
Through this collaboration, CUNY students and faculty members will have access to Innovare’s state-of-the-art facilities, including specialized laboratories for quantum communications and neuromorphic computing, co-working, and event spaces. In turn, CUNY will provide a critical bridge to one of the largest pools of diverse, talented students and faculty in the nation, furthering Griffiss Institute’s mission to strengthen talent pipelines in Upstate New York.
“This partnership with Griffiss Institute marks an exciting chapter in CUNY’s efforts to expand opportunities for our students and faculty,” said Dr. Rosemarie D. Wesson, CUNY associate vice chancellor and University vice provost for research. “Together, we aim to create innovative pathways that connect education, research and industry, driving impact at both the regional and national levels.”
The Innovare Alliance, managed by the Griffiss Institute, began with six other founding members: the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate (AFRL/RI), Oneida County, City of Rome, The State University of New York (SUNY), the Central New York Defense Alliance, and New York State Technology Enterprise Corporation (NYSTEC). The addition of CUNY brings the membership to 12, including SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Le Moyne College and Binghamton University. These members form a collaborative ecosystem with headquarters at Innovare Advancement Center in Rome. The Center was nationally recognized in 2023 by the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) for its open environment with unclassified innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum information science and uncrewed aerial systems.
For more information about the Griffiss Institute, Innovare Alliance and this partnership, visit griffissinstitute.org.
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About the Innovare Alliance
The Innovare Alliance is a dynamic collaboration of 12 members, managed by Griffiss Institute, aimed at advancing technological innovation and workforce development. The Alliance provides a collaborative platform for interdisciplinary research, talent development, and economic growth by uniting leading academic institutions, government agencies, and industry organizations.
About Griffiss Institute
The Griffiss Institute (GI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit talent and technology accelerator that supports the United States Department of Defense (DoD) and an international network of academic, government, and industry partners. Since 2002, GI has served the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate (AFRL/RI) and, in 2008, entered into a Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) with AFRL/RI. This longstanding collaboration has enabled the GI to contribute significantly to the economic and technical advancement of the Mohawk Valley region and the nation. Through its talent and technology development programs, the GI empowers diverse teams to drive innovation with measurable impact across the defense and technology sectors.
About CUNY
The City University of New York is the nation’s largest urban public university, a transformative engine of social mobility that is a critical component of the lifeblood of New York City. Founded in 1847 as the nation’s first free public institution of higher education, CUNY today has seven community colleges, 11 senior colleges and seven graduate or professional institutions spread across New York City’s five boroughs, serving more than 240,000 undergraduate and graduate students and awarding 50,000 degrees each year. CUNY’s mix of quality and affordability propels almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all the Ivy League colleges combined. More than 80 percent of the University’s graduates stay in New York, contributing to all aspects of the city’s economic, civic and cultural life and diversifying the city’s workforce in every sector. CUNY’s graduates and faculty have received many prestigious honors, including 13 Nobel Prizes and 26 MacArthur “genius” grants. The University’s historic mission continues to this day: provide a first-rate public education to all students, regardless of means or background. To learn more about CUNY, visit https://www.cuny.edu.