Tim Mattulke, director of business development for the UB Business Alliance, serves as project manager for the local branch of the Strategic Partnership for Industrial Resurgence (SPIR). SPIR is based in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and administered by the UB Business Alliance.

What is SPIR?

The SPIR program was established by the State of New York in 1994 to assist small and medium-sized manufacturing companies. SPIR funding is available to qualifying companies for projects that need research-and-development support and technological depth, such as new-product development, product redesign/enhancement, and/or process-improvement activities. The local projects funded by SPIR have been overwhelmingly successful due to the knowledge and resources driving the projects. SPIR resources include faculty, staff, facilities and students of the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Qualifying companies can receive up to 50 percent of the cost of the UB personnel and facilities involved in the project and must meet at least one of the following criteria. As a direct result of SPIR assistance, a company must experience retention of manufacturing jobs, creation of manufacturing jobs or an increase in sales over the next three years.

How is SPIR different from The Center for Industrial Effectiveness?

SPIR is a state-funded program provided to a consortium of four SUNY institutions-UB, Bing-hamton, Stony Brook and New Paltz-through their schools or departments of engineering. TCIE is charged with providing outreach to industry as a portion of the SPIR program, on behalf of the UB engineering school. Established 13 years ago, TCIE, now a part of the UB Business Alliance, acts as the primary point of access through which industry can access UB resources. TCIE provides contracted services, including business translation, R&D, testing, ISO/QS9000, plant layout, ergonomics, marketing, strategic planning and training and workforce development.

How does SPIR fit in with UB's public-service mission?

This program provides an opportunity for a small to medium-sized manufacturer to supplement its R&D capabilities with the expertise of UB's engineering resources. The mission of the UB Business Alliance-which administers SPIR-is to motivate and assist industry to develop people, introduce and utilize new technologies, improve business practices, and modernize product, process and facilities. We believe that the UB Business Alliance can provide a critical engine for improved economic health and prosperity in Western New York, resulting in a world-class base of business.

What is SPIR's track record? How many companies have been helped and how many jobs have been created and retained?

Since its inception at UB, the SPIR program has assisted more than 250 local companies with more than 250 projects and is responsible for creating more than 1,500 jobs and retaining more than 6,500 in the Western New York area.

Tell me about a SPIR success story.

Over the past six years, a variety of projects have been funded through the SPIR program that have allowed the university to showcase the expertise of various departments within the UB engineering school. Among the projects is work by Wayne Anderson of the Department of Electrical Engineering with OhmCraft, Inc. That project helped OhmCraft to expand its current production line, improve production and better evaluate the performance of its products. With nearly $1,000 in support from the SPIR team headed by Anderson, OhmCraft was able to create 10 new jobs, retain 25 other jobs and realize a sales increase of $500,000. For its work on this project, SPIR received a "Project of the Year" award in the area of technical transfer from the National Association of Management and Technical Assistance Centers (NAMTAC).

With the decline of major industry in New York State, particularly in Western New York, are programs like SPIR crucial to the revival of the upstate economy?

We believe that UB is crucial to the success of this region. Rebecca Landy, chief operating officer for the UB Business Alliance, reports a significant "up-tick" in industry in Western New York. Companies such as Quebecor, American Axle & Manufacturing and OhmCraft, among others, are examples of industry investing in Western New York, both in terms of capital and expanded employment. The alliance has been involved with these companies over the past six years and has actively supported their transition from previously tenuous employment situations to the strong, vibrant industry that these companies have transformed to. Areas like the Silicon Valley and Boston are closely linked to their major research universities and those universities are clearly part of the regional economic development engine. UB can and will be able to do this for New York. Through the resources of those four SUNY engineering programs, SPIR can assist in the revitalization and redirection of New York State industry by moving it toward an economy based on technical knowledge and the development of new technologies.