Engagement and Economic Development

UB’s Office of Economic Development is putting innovative research to work. It connects companies to university facilities, research, students and faculty expertise. The collaborations can help start or grow a business in fields such as biotechnology, life sciences, informatics, materials or advanced manufacturing. 

The city of Buffalo, New York State and dozens of companies are benefiting from their UB affiliation through the tax-incentive program START-UP NY. Students are finding internships and jobs, faculty are gaining industry partners, and companies are multiplying resources by being co-located on campus and in university facilities.

Established to help students become active citizens and agents of change, alternative break programs engage students in experiential learning through community service and volunteering opportunities during their Thanksgiving, winter or spring breaks. These programs typically take students outside of the Buffalo Niagara region, and they address issues such as poverty, homelessness, hunger, literacy, HIV/AIDS, education and the environment.

The Buffalo Public School STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Experience is a public/private alliance that engages city students in hands-on STEM activities, helping to motivate a 21st-century workforce. Successful early programs have spun out a new city high school program, the Research Lab for Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.

An urban-serving university and anchor institution in the City of Buffalo, UB is an active partner in revitalizing the neighborhoods surrounding our campuses, where many employees and students reside. One key initiative is the UB H.O.M.E. program, a partnership with West Side Neighborhood Housing Services to encourage UB employee home ownership and foster a vibrant residential community in the neighborhoods surrounding the South Campus.