Commercialization and collaboration center (c3)
Helping businesses develop and commercialize semiconductor technologies
C3 connects companies with university cleanrooms, lithography, research expertise and IP support across Upstate New York. Its NY THRIVE innovation vouchers help pay for that access, with Tier 1 vouchers of up to $50,000 and no match required.
What C3 is
How C3 supports semiconductor innovation
Across the region’s universities, many of the capabilities small businesses need already exist. The cost of using them has been the obstacle. C3 opens them up to companies, and NY THRIVE vouchers help cover that cost.
C3, the Commercialization and Collaboration Center, is one of the component projects of the NY SMART I-Corridor, the federally designated Tech Hub across Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Ithaca. Led by Syracuse University with Cornell, RIT, the University of Rochester and the University at Buffalo, it gives companies a single point of entry to university facilities, specialized equipment, research expertise and patents, along with innovation concierges, IP and licensing support, and one-on-one mentoring.
NY THRIVE, which stands for Tech Hub Resources and Innovation Vouchers for Enterprises, is the funding program C3 offers. It pays for companies to use advanced facilities, specialized equipment, maker spaces and research assistance. Vouchers come in three tiers:
Tier 1
Up to $50,000
No match required
12 months to use it
Tier 2
$50,001 to $250,000
10% match
12 months to use it
Tier 3
Over $250,000
25% match
Up to 24 months to use it
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
C3 Asset Inventory
Find the resources, then fund the access
The C3 Asset Inventory lets you search facilities, research groups and patents across the five partner universities. Use it to find the equipment, lab or expertise your project needs. A NY THRIVE voucher can then help pay for your access, and an innovation concierge can help with both steps.
How C3 helps businesses
Innovation support
Businesses developing new strategies or preparing to meet investors can access support on patent landscape, patentability and freedom-to-operate, IP protection, and market and competitive insights, along with one-on-one mentoring.
Collaborative partnerships
Companies commercializing new products can partner with universities and industry to access facilities, research expertise, and patents at Cornell, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, the University at Buffalo and the University of Rochester.
Access to capital
The NY THRIVE Innovation Voucher Program supports companies across the semiconductor ecosystem – including design, manufacturing, materials, process optimization and supply chain. Vouchers provide access to facilities, equipment and intellectual assets at participating universities.
Cross-sector collaboration
Partnership opportunities with universities, nonprofits, researchers, OEMs, startups and other participating organizations, supported through events, trainings and knowledge sharing across the Tech Hub.
Up to$50K
Tier 1 NY THRIVE vouchers cover up to $50,000 of facility, equipment and research access, with no matching funds required. For context, E-beam lithography alone can cost around $350 an hour without a voucher.
Source: NY THRIVE program announcement; University at Buffalo equipment rates
Commercialization and Collaboration Center
To keep the NY SMART I-Corridor at the forefront of the semiconductor industry, the C3 initiative is investing in research institutions and organizations – both those entering and those already engaged in the supply chain – that want to push the boundaries of innovation. C3 connects startups, universities, labs and manufacturers with the tools, expertise and capital needed to bring new semiconductor-related products to market – from proof of concept to scaling production – while removing barriers for diverse founders and institutions.
Who C3 is for
Who C3 supports
01
Startups and founders
You have a technology at prototype stage and need facilities you cannot justify buying. Vouchers cover access to university cleanrooms, lithography, metrology and packaging. This is the equipment that otherwise forces founders to raise far more capital or build their own.
02
Established manufacturers with an R&D need
You are developing a new product or process and need testing, characterization or prototyping capability. C3’s focus is technologies at readiness levels 6 through 9, meaning work that is close to market rather than early research. If the goal is qualifying as a supplier rather than commercializing something of your own, the SCAN supply chain program is the better starting point.
03
Researchers with something worth protecting
You have results that could become a product and no experience turning them into one. C3 runs patent and licensing training with the New York State Science and Technology Law Center, and an IP coordinator works across the partner institutions on protection and licensing terms.
what you get
What C3 gives you access to
NY THRIVE vouchers
Three tiers, from up to $50,000 for Tier 1 to above $250,000, on a rolling application basis. Concierges can issue vouchers up to $50,000 for a single project; larger requests go to the universities’ Vice Presidents of Research. Applications are submitted through the NY THRIVE portal, and a concierge can walk you through it first.
Labs, experts and patents
The C3 Asset Inventory lists facilities, research groups and patents across Cornell, RIT, Syracuse University, the University at Buffalo and the University of Rochester, from cleanrooms and lithography tools to metrology, packaging and prototyping equipment.
Innovation concierges
Full-time staff at the partner universities whose job is to help you find the right equipment and the right expertise, including researchers and graduate students.
IP and licensing support
An IP coordinator at RIT leading standardized IP protection across institutions, greater transparency on licensing terms, and training on patents and licensing for entrepreneurs.
why here, why now
Why commercialize semiconductor technology in Upstate New York
5
partner universities in the C3 network: Cornell, RIT, Syracuse University, the University at Buffalo and the University of Rochester
TRL 6–9
the technology readiness levels C3 focuses on, meaning work that is close to market rather than early research
15,000+
square feet of open cleanroom space at the Cornell NanoScale Facility
10,000+
square-foot nanofabrication lab at RIT, with a complete CMOS processing line
~$350
per hour is what E-beam lithography can cost without a voucher
148
firms C3 aims to serve over 10 years
proof
Explore research facilities in the C3 network
Facilities in the C3 network:
Partner networks you can reach through C3:
Cornell’s open cleanroom exceeds 15,000 square feet; RIT’s nanofabrication lab runs a complete CMOS processing line.
FAQ
NY THRIVE and innovation funding questions, answered
NY THRIVE stands for Tech Hub Resources & Innovation Vouchers for Enterprises. It funds businesses to access advanced facilities, specialized equipment, maker spaces and research assistance across Upstate New York in order to commercialize semiconductor technologies.
Three tiers. Tier 1 is up to $50,000 for small-scale projects over 12 months, with no matching funds required. Tier 2 is $50,001 to $250,000 over 12 months, with a 10% match. Tier 3 is above $250,000 for large-scale projects over up to 24 months, with a 25% match.
Senior representatives such as CEOs, CTOs or R&D leaders, at companies working in semiconductor design, manufacturing, technology development or related sectors, based in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Ithaca, Batavia or Auburn.
Access to university and nonprofit facilities, equipment and intellectual assets for the development, prototyping and testing of semiconductor technologies. It pays for the use of capability that already exists rather than for buying your own. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through the NY THRIVE portal.
Yes. Companies in every city along the corridor now hold NY THRIVE vouchers. In Buffalo: Carbonix, Excellerix, IBEX Materials and Retech Systems. In Rochester: amPICQ, Era73 Technologies, Oculi, Photonect, Stamper Technology and TOPTICA. In Syracuse and Ithaca: Conamix, Flox Intelligence, INFICON, Menlo Micro, OWiC, tomPhyzx, TTM Technologies and TunaBotics. The work spans photonics, advanced materials, robotics, testing equipment and battery technologies. See the latest funding update.
C3, the Commercialization and Collaboration Center, is the NY SMART I-Corridor program that connects companies with university facilities, specialized equipment, research expertise and patents. It is led by Syracuse University with Cornell, RIT, the University of Rochester and the University at Buffalo. NY THRIVE is the voucher program C3 offers to help companies pay for that access.
Talk to an innovation concierge. Concierges based at the partner universities help companies identify the right equipment and expertise across the corridor, and they can issue vouchers of up to $50,000 directly. You can also search the C3 Asset Inventory yourself.
The C3 Asset Inventory lists facilities, research groups and patents across the five partner universities. They include the Cornell NanoScale Facility, RIT’s nanofabrication lab, URnano and the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester, and UB’s Center for Advanced Semiconductor Technologies.
Keep Reading
More on semiconductor innovation funding in New York
Talk to an innovation concierge
Tell us what you’re building and what you need access to. A concierge at one of the partner universities will tell you which facilities fit and whether a voucher applies. No cost to ask.
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