Albany Law School, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Research Foundation for SUNY Launch Innovative Experiential Learning Program
Institutions Announce Partnership to Prepare Students for Careers in Technology Commercialization While Facilitating Lab-to-Market Innovation
Albany Law School, SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly), and the Research Foundation for SUNY (RF) are partnering to provide a unique, immersive experience that will both prepare students for high-tech careers and promote the development of marketable technologies in the Capital Region and beyond.
The institutions today signed a memorandum of understanding to launch the Innovation Intensive clinic, through which students from Albany Law School and SUNY Poly will gain hands-on experience in technology commercialization by performing work on behalf of the RF. The program will be offered beginning in the fall of 2019. Law, business, and engineering students will work in interdisciplinary teams—under the supervision of RF attorneys—to advance their tech-focused projects and facilitate university innovation, from lab to market.
In addition, Albany Law School and SUNY Poly will work together to develop a host of collaborative academic programs, pathways for accelerated degrees, and cross-registration opportunities.
Working on-site in SUNY Poly's laboratories, Innovation Intensive students will be on the cutting-edge of the law and such rapidly evolving areas as nanotechnology, nanobioscience, quantum technologies, and artificial intelligence.
"This is an exciting partnership for Albany Law School and a great addition to our Innovation and Entrepreneurship Pathway," said Albany Law School President and Dean Alicia Ouellette. "The Innovation Intensive will be a game changer for business and tech-focused law students, who will have unparalleled opportunities to experience actual practice in the increasingly intertwined fields of business, entrepreneurship, science, and law."
"SUNY Poly looks forward to working closely with Albany Law School, in partnership with the Research Foundation, as we jointly develop a collaborative academic curriculum and offer access to high-quality experiential opportunities for students located both here in the Capital Region and in the Mohawk Valley," said SUNY Poly Interim President Dr. Grace Wang. "We are excited to enhance their high-tech-centered experience via additional technical, professional, and legal scholarship options as we continue to strengthen student opportunities at both of our institutions."
"The Innovation Intensive is a win-win for all," said RF President Jeff Cheek. "Together with our partners at Albany Law and SUNY Poly we have created a unique, focused, and practical program that at once builds a necessary field of workforce expertise, provides fulfilling mentoring opportunities for our management, and assists researchers and entrepreneurs across the SUNY system transform their discoveries into life-changing innovation."
In both the classroom and the lab, students participating in the Innovation Intensive program will delve into issues involving technology valuation, intellectual property law, intellectual property strategy and protection, market analysis, entrepreneurship, startup formation, business planning, seed and venture funding, economic development, and industry and government relations.
For the experiential collaborative curriculum component at SUNY Poly, students can choose to work 15 hours per week or, through Albany Law School's Semester-in-Practice (SIP) Program, 33 hours per week over the course of the semester. In addition, students will be able to participate in an optional independent study to develop technology-focused business plans for submission to the New York State Business Plan Competition.
The Innovation Intensive is an outgrowth of the success of existing collaborations, particularly the RF's Innovation Intern program, which has provided more than 40 students from Albany Law School, SUNY Poly, and other institutions the ability to maximize their potential in the real-life intersection of law and technology commercialization, offering hands-on experience in license negotiations, patent applications, marketing studies, and other areas.
About Albany Law School
Albany Law School is a small, private school located in the heart of New York State's capital, where it has educated leaders since 1851. The institution offers students an innovative, rigorous curriculum taught by a committed faculty. It has an affiliation agreement with University at Albany that includes shared programs and access for students and faculty to learn from one another. Students have access to New York's highest court, federal courts, the executive branch, and the state legislature. With approximately 10,500 alumni practicing across the country and several continents, Albany Law's graduates serve as a vital community and resource for the school and its students. The school offers the J.D.—the traditional law degree—along with master's degrees, LL.M. degrees, and a certificate program. In 2019 the school launched We Rise Together: The Campaign for Albany Law School, a $30 million capital campaign. Visit albanylaw.edu.
About SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly)
SUNY Poly is New York's globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany campus, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica/Rome campus; thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world's most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts billions of dollars in high-tech investments and hundreds of corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.
About the Research Foundation for SUNY
The Research Foundation for SUNY is the largest comprehensive university-connected research foundation in the country. It exists to serve SUNY by providing essential administrative services that enable SUNY faculty to focus their efforts on the education of students and the performance of life-changing research across a wide range of disciplines including medicine, engineering, physical sciences, energy, computer science, and social sciences. The RF works with the academic and business leadership of SUNY campuses to support research and discovery through administration of sponsored projects and technology transfer and management of intellectual property for public benefit and economic growth. To learn more about the RF, visit www.rfsuny.org.