Brown, Cuomo Launch Expanded Technology Services For N.Y. Businesses

U.S. Commerce Secretary Ronald H. Brown and New York Governor Mario M. Cuomo today officially launched the New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership, an expanded manufacturing outreach program to help the state's small and medium-sized companies become more competitive through the adoption of new technologies.

The New York MEP, headquartered at the Rensselaer Technology Park in Troy, N.Y., is the result of four recent awards from the Technology Reinvestment Project, the federal government's program to provide funds for dual-use (military and civilian) technology development, deployment and utilization. The TRP awards to New York State were used to expand the extension services provided by the former Northeast Manufacturing Technology Center, one of the seven original manufacturing extension centers established by the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology and now being incorporated under the New York MEP banner. Specifically, the expansion includes the operation of four regional New York MEP centers in New York City, Fishkill, Endicott and Amherst.

Secretary Brown said, "In a competitive global marketplace, technological leadership is the surest ticket to economic success. The expanded New York MEP will enable the state's 28,000 manufacturers to be networked into the forefront of technological change."

"The New York MEP is at the heart of what New York State is trying to do to help manufacturers become better at what they do," Governor Cuomo said. "With field offices in each region of the state, the New York MEP finds the resources—be they state programs or private sources—to help manufacturers implement relevant technologies that meet their fundamental needs."

The New York MEP, operated by the New York State Science and Technology Foundation, is affiliated with a national network of technology extension centers, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership managed by NIST. It is one of 28 extension programs funded through the TRP, bringing the current number of centers in the national MEP to 35. Plans call for 100 centers in the nationwide manufacturing extension network by 1997. "The New York State Science and Technology Foundation is proud to have such a vital program under its wings," said Graham Jones, executive director of the foundation.

"The New York MEP was designed for manufacturers who want to stay in the ball game and not be beaten by their competitors. By tapping into the many resources available through the New York MEP, manufacturers have been helped in significant ways."

For more information on the New York MEP, contact Jeanne Selmer at (518) 283-1010.