THE EVALUATION OF NEW-YORK STATES CENTERS FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM - ONE CENTERS PERSPECTIVE

The New York State Centers for Advanced Technology (CAT) Program has b ecome a model for partnerships among government, industry, and academi c research institutions. Nine CATs were formed over the past eight yea rs at leading academic research organizations in research areas select ed as the foundation for the state's master plan for high-technology d evelopment: telecommunications, computers and software engineering, ad vanced materials processing, optical systems, biotechnology in medicin e and agriculture, robotics and automation, and ceramic technology. Ea ch CAT is funded at $1 million per year with state money that must be matched dollar for dollar by industry. Funds are directed into researc h and development, educational and training programs, dissemination of information, equipment, and support for faculty, research staff, and graduate students. CAT funds are used as seed money and to leverage ad ditional research dollars, matching other industrial or government gra nts. Alfred University's five-year-old New York State Center for Advan ced Ceramic Technology (CACT) is described. The CACT's areas of concen tration are high-performance structural ceramics, including bioceramic s and self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS); electronic an d optoelectronic ceramics, including electronic packaging; and high-te mperature ceramic superconductors. The management structure of the CAC T is also described, including funding techniques, contract negotiatio n, and intellectual property rights. Information is then provided on t he current evaluation of the overall New York State Centers for Advanc ed Technology Program by SRI International's Center for Economic Compe titiveness. This evaluation is part of a legislated examination of all of the centers as the six oldest enter the end of their first decade of existence.