Governor Grants $3 Million for Bioscience Manufacturing Center at Eastman Business Park

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo recently announced that the State will commit $3 million to the Eastman Business Park (EBP) Bioscience Manufacturing Center in Rochester which will begin construction later this year. The construction of the $25 million, 60,000 square feet facility, which will improve equipment for converting non-food plant materials into biofuels and biochemicals, is estimated to create hundreds of new jobs. The Eastman Business Park is the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council’s (FLREDC) top priority and is a crucial asset in both job creation and economic development in the region.

“This year, we are building on the successes of the past three years, lowering taxes for residents and businesses and creating new economic opportunities across the state,” Cuomo said. “Here in Rochester, we are committing an investment of $3 million to support the construction of a $25 million Bioscience Manufacturing Center at Eastman Business Park. This investment will create hundreds of new jobs for the community, grow the local economy and position the Finger Lakes region as a leader in the renewable energy industry. Under our budget plan, we will continue to make economic development and job creation in Upstate New York a top priority, while making important investments to improve our education system, fortify the state’s infrastructure and build stronger communities.”

The project will consist of transportation infrastructure improvements and the production, fermentation tanks and storage equipment necessary to convert feedstock into C5 and C6 sugars. These sugars can then be employed in the manufacture of a wide range of green chemicals, biodegradable plastics, and biofuels. Once operational, the center will be capable of processing up to 30,000 tons of sugars annually. In addition, the partnership between New York State and the EBP Bioscience Manufacturing Center builds upon the state’s ongoing effort to pursue and improve access to renewable energy.

The industrial facility will be owned and operated by EBP EcoTech Park Operating Corp, a consortium of partner companies who will provide the majority of funding for the project. Several companies, including three out-of-state businesses, have indicated interest in using the center and intend either to expand or locate operations at Eastman Business Park as a result.

Eastman Business Park (EBP), formerly Kodak Park, is a 1,200 acre technology and industrial complex that spans from the City of Rochester into the Town of Greece in Monroe County. EBP has more than one million square feet of manufacturing, laboratory and warehouse space with infrastructure systems that put it among the top industrial sites in the eastern United States. Under Governor Cuomo, more than $90 million has been committed and invested by New York State to attract dozens of new companies that are transforming EBP into a diverse hub for research and development (R&D) and high tech manufacturing. The park now has 48 companies with more than 6,500 employees, most of which are non-Kodak jobs.