UB Celebrates Partnerships with Community and Industry at UB Partners Day

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo celebrated its partnerships with community and industry today at UB Partners Day, an annual event that highlights how UB works with individuals and organizations across Western New York to improve the region's quality of life.

This year's Partners Day agenda included an expo and 13 workshops covering topics from social entrepreneurship to revitalizing manufacturing to efforts to grow Buffalo Niagara's life sciences firms.

An awards luncheon following the workshops honored important UB partners and featured a keynote speech on economic development in Buffalo by Bruce Katz, vice president at the Brookings Institution and founding director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program.

Partners Day underscores how UB, as a research university, can serve as an important public resource as Western New York looks to strengthen its economy, said UB President Satish K. Tripathi.

"Other cities have achieved economic growth through the synergy of research universities, high-tech businesses and the health care industry," Tripathi said. "In our region, UB is driving progress by partnering with companies and community organizations on projects that generate innovation and discovery, create jobs, and make Western New York a more vibrant and exciting place to live. The end result is something even greater than regional economic impact. It's about changing lives and enriching communities, locally as well as globally."

This year's Partners Day workshop highlights included a presentation on the Western New York Renaissance Project, a program that enlists the expertise of UB and regional economic development officials to help local manufacturers find a competitive edge.

Another session discussed downtown Buffalo's new Gates Vascular Institute/Clinical and Translational Research Center, where Kaleida Health physicians and UB researchers will deliver clinical care, study diseases and develop technologies that spur new life sciences firms.

"Partners Day not only showcases our existing partnerships, but also enables new potential partners to learn about what we, as a premier research university, have to offer," said Alexander N. Cartwright, UB vice president for research and economic development. "We want people to discover how they can take advantage of innovation at UB to grow their companies and advance their organizations' missions. Through our partnerships, we're helping regional industries solve some of their most challenging problems."

Partners Day honorees this year included Kaleida Health, recipient of UB's Vital Partner Award; Joseph A. Gardella, UB John and Frances Larkin Professor of Chemistry, and Buffalo Public Schools, recipients of UB's University Community Partners Award; UB Associate Professor of Chemistry David G. Hangauer, recipient of UB's Faculty Entrepreneur Award; and New York State Lieutenant Governor Robert (Bob) J. Duffy, recipient of UB's Reaching Others Award.