UAlbany Innovation Center

The UAlbany Innovation Center is headquartered inside ETEC. 

The $180 million building, which opened in Fall 2021, is UAlbany’s technological centerpiece — housing various interdisciplinary academic and research units, as well as collaboration space for public/private partnerships. 

Startups conscious of their environmental footprint will feel right at home at ETEC, which is heated and cooled using geothermal technology and has LEED Platinum status. 

Inside the Innovation Center, members can access WIFI, multiple conference rooms, a large multimedia room, video conferencing equipment and a kitchenette. 

The UAlbany Innovation Center hosts regular events, workshops, speakers, networking opportunities, roundtable discussions and courses for its members.  

You’ll learn from industry leaders, state-of-the-art researchers and other experts, and meet academic partners and business owners from around the region.  

Past events have included storytelling for startups, onsite tours to new ecosystem partners, Q&As with legal professionals. To see upcoming events, visit our events calendar on the Innovate 518 website.

Members have access to expertise, advice, mentoring, network introductions and other guidance.  

Innovation Center staff also help facilitate relationships with stakeholders in more than 40 research labs, including over 200 faculty members and researchers, and several business partners based in ETEC. 

Additionally, UAlbany's Office of Economic Development, Entrepreneurship, and Industry Partnerships (which manages the incubator) and Office of Technology Transfer match companies and investor-backed ventures with UAlbany scientists and engineers to collaborate on joint proposal submissions to the federal Small Business Innovative Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs and more. 

Our members have access to the New York State Innovation Hot Spot Program, START-UP NY and additional startup support.  

Innovation Hot Spot is a New York State Office of Science, Technology, and Research (NYSTAR) program designed to provide opportunities for early-stage companies to tap into regional support for growth, sustainability and tax incentives. There are 10 Innovation Hot Spots across the state — including one in the Capital Region called Innovate 518.

START-UP NY, run by Empire State Development, helps new and expanding businesses through ten years of tax-based incentives and innovative academic partnerships.  

Members of the Innovation Center can be connected to fundraising resources, such as grants, angel investors and venture capital while Center staff are prepared to assist teams and connect wherever possible.

Members can also take advantage of discounts offered to startups, such as HubSpot, AWS Activate, MatLab/SimuLink and more. 

Specifically, UAlbany offers companies access to: 

• specialized equipment and protocols 
• faculty subject-matter expertise 
• test center services 
• students/prospective hires 
• complementary or core intellectual property rights 

Rate: $125 per month 

Reserve an open coworking desk with access to private lockers. Take advantage of the Innovation Center’s member benefits. 

The UAlbany Innovation Center has 36 coworking desks. 

Parking: Temporary parking permits cost $5.40 per day, $46.20 per month or $105.60 per year. 

Rates:  

• One- to two-person private office: $325 per month 

• Four-person semi-private cubicle: $500 per month 

Reserve a private, furnished office suite with workstations, locking file drawers and whiteboards. Take advantage of the Innovation Center’s member benefits. 

The UAlbany Innovation Center has 2 one- to two-person private offices and 3 four-person semi-private cubicles. 

Parking: Temporary parking permits cost $5.40 per day, $46.20 per month or $105.60 per year.