ACADEMIA

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and local officials have cut the ribbon to unveil one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers for health research, which will be housed at the Health Sciences Center for Computational Innovation (HSCCI) in Rochester. The HSCCI is a $100 million partnership with the University of Rochester and IBM dedicated to applying supercomputing solutions to the nation’s health challenges. Last year, the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council chose the HSCCI as one of its priority projects and received $5 million in state funds for its completion. 

“With this partnership, New York has an unprecedented opportunity to participate in cutting edge healthcare research while creating hundreds of jobs at the University and in the Finger Lakes region,” said Governor Cuomo. “Together with my colleagues in the legislature and educational institutions such as the University of Rochester, we are changing the way the state invests in economic development through the Regional Councils. This is the type of partnership we are starting to see throughout the state and I look forward to working with the private sector to transform New York into the best place to start and grow businesses.”

Senator Joe Robach said, "Governor Cuomo has worked very closely with the legislature to take the necessary steps to ensure that these high tech jobs are spread throughout New York so that every community can grow and prosper. This partnership is a direct result of the type of entrepreneurial government that he promised us. The Governor knows that in order to create growth, the state needs to work with businesses, both large and small, to help them grow and create jobs. The Finger Lakes has a true advocate in Governor Cuomo and I thank him for his leadership, and his commitment to getting New York moving in a better direction.”

Assemblyman Harry Bronson said, “Governor Cuomo’s determination to build public and private partnerships has yielded unprecedented results for our state. The Governor has kept his promise to create jobs and fuel the economic engines of our state. This substantial investment in technology will create hundreds of jobs and put Rochester on the map as a global leader in health and wellness research.”

Joel Seligman, President of University of Rochester said, “Today's ribbon cutting for the University of Rochester's Health Sciences Center for Computational Innovation would not have been possible without the support of Governor Cuomo and State of New York. A few days ago, thanks to the Governor and the recommendation of the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Council, we installed IBM's next generation supercomputer, the Blue Gene/Q, which places us among the leading university based supercomputing sites in North America. Our partnership with IBM and New York State has already helped us attract $84 million in new research funding and will give our faculty and students access to state-of-the-art research opportunities and provide new opportunities to address the great challenges in health research. We are profoundly grateful to the Governor and proud to join so many others in being Open for Business in New York State.”

HSCCI utilizes IBM’s Blue Gene supercomputers to create one of the most powerful, energy efficient high performance computing systems dedicated to health research in the world. This superior computing capability will allow researchers to create comprehensive profiles of individuals and diseases, forecast health trends and interpret imaging systems or devices monitoring health in real time. The Blue Gene supercomputers will be housed at the University of Rochester’s new 23,000 square foot state-of-the-art data center set on six acres at Rochester’s Science Park, an industrial park in the City of Rochester, as well as facilities on the University’s main campus.

The Center for Governmental Research, through a report commissioned by the University, anticipates that HSCCI will create 900 jobs at the University of Rochester and in the community, generate approximately $50 million in economic benefits and bring over $205 million in new research funding over the next 10 years. The jobs will be created through a combination of new faculty and staff for the Center, increased research funding and expansion of industry and academic partnerships with companies that utilize HSCCI’s supercomputers.

The University of Rochester and IBM partnership joins together two of New York’s largest employers and economic leaders. In addition, the HSCCI enhances Rochester’s position as an international center for biomedical research and a magnet for research funding, scientific talent, industry and academic collaboration, and private sector job growth.