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NYSUNY 2020

NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grants

The Jacobs School of Medicine in Buffalo with a NYSUNY2020 Open For Business branding ribbon at the bottom.

In 2011, the State University of New York and the Office of the Governor embarked on a groundbreaking partnership to establish the NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grant Program - an initiative that has spurred economic growth across the state and strengthened the academic programs of New York's public universities and colleges. The mission of the program is to elevate SUNY as a catalyst for regional economic development and affordable education. The program provides incentive for capital development on SUNY campuses and within surrounding communities, while also establishing Maintenance of Effort provisions and a rational tuition program that allows schools, parents and students to anticipate expenses.

In the first round of the program, $140 million was awarded to SUNY University Centers - University at Albany, University at Buffalo, Binghamton University, and Stony Brook University - to support capital projects in their regions. The grants, administered through the Empire State Development Corporation and SUNY's Construction Fund, are given to projects that leverage private sector resources to fulfill long term economic and academic plans. Proposals met criteria such as:

Entering into the third round of NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grants, the program has so far enabled campuses to:

The future of the NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grants will land SUNY and the State of New York at the top of global standards for providing a world-class education and enabling vast economic growth for New Yorkers.