Proposed tech alliance spurs high hopes for jobs

For once, the science is the easy part. It's always made sense for research powerhouses Stony Brook University, Brookhaven National Laboratory and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to collaborate scientifically, but to translate that into economic success, as Sen. Charles Schumer wants them to, requires cooperation not just with each other, but with outside players, too.

The New York Democrat came to Stony Brook's cutting-edge Center for Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology Monday to promote a partnership among the three institutions. He said he hopes they'll attract support from the federal and state governments to build a high-tech environment on Long Island that would rival California's Silicon Valley and the Route 128 corridor outside Boston.

"We have three of the greatest research institutions in the country, not just on Long Island," Schumer said. "Today's meeting could be historic. It has the potential to create the kinds of jobs on Long Island that the defense industry once did."

Schumer noted that scientists collaborate all the time, but working together to create jobs is something new.

Stony Brook's president, Dr. Samuel L. Stanley Jr., said the big obstacles for new start-ups are physical space and onerous regulations. Business parks that are user-friendly to new companies and that allow them to tap into the resources of the research giants would help, he said.

Schumer's proposal was greeted with instant enthusiasm by political and business leaders. Riverhead Town Supervisor Sean Walter crashed the announcement to say he'd help. And Kevin Law, chief executive of the Long Island Association, the region's biggest business group, endorsed the idea.

Law said the LIA is committed to helping overcome the obstacles Stanley identified, and he noted a high-tech cluster on Long Island is consistent with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's proposal to establish regional economic development councils. Stony Brook would lead the Long Island regional council.

Law predicted most political hurdles would be easy to clear because of the economic climate, noting Walter's reaction.

"I think most politicians get it now," Law said. "It's about the economy. It's about jobs. And if you're going to stand in the way of that, your shelf life is going to be quite short."

Stony Brook's partners were eager to get started.

"I think this is exactly the right thing to do for economic development on Long Island," said Brookhaven Lab director Samuel Aronson.

"We do have an extraordinary powerhouse of research," said Bruce Stillman, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's director. "Between these three institutions, we have everything we need."