Universities, industry leaders, and government representatives from across New York State gathered in New York City on November 12-13 for the annual State University of New York (SUNY) Research Council meeting. The event focused on how collaboration between academia and industry can drive innovation and economic development.
Stony Brook University was a key participant at this year’s meeting. Lav Varshney, director of the Stony Brook AI Innovation Institute, delivered the keynote address. “We need to pursue both innovation in AI and its diffusion across industries and society,” said Varshney, who also holds the Della Pietra Infinity Professorship in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “That combination of developing new algorithms and architectures while ensuring AI is safe, secure, and trustworthy is how we strengthen our state and national competitiveness.”
Varshney described Stony Brook’s AI Innovation Institute as a center for foundational research and interdisciplinary work spanning health sciences, arts, engineering, business, and entrepreneurship. He stressed that advances in artificial intelligence must be paired with efforts to ensure trustworthiness: “The foundation for ensuring that innovation truly benefits society.”
Eden Figueroa, director of the Center for Distributed Quantum Processing at Stony Brook University, participated as a panelist in a session titled “Quantum New York: Advancing Regional Impact through Academic–Industry Collaboration.” Figueroa leads several major initiatives at Stony Brook related to quantum communication networks and next-generation quantum repeater technologies. These projects support both regional and national quantum infrastructure.
Figueroa’s role is closely linked with New York State’s $300 million investment in a new Quantum Research and Innovation Hub at Stony Brook University. This facility will focus on quantum communication, computing, and workforce development.
The university recently launched the AI Innovation Institute (AI3) to bring together researchers from different disciplines to accelerate artificial intelligence innovation across campus.
Kevin Gardner, vice president for research at Stony Brook University, commented on the importance of ongoing investment in research: “We are at a crossroads where continued investment in research is essential not just for innovation, but for maintaining the technological leadership of the United States,” Gardner said. “Our collective efforts demonstrate how public universities can serve as engines of both discovery and economic vitality.”
The SUNY Research Council meeting highlighted how SUNY institutions connect researchers with policymakers and industry leaders to shape scientific progress within New York State.
Looking ahead, Stony Brook University will host the SUNY AI Symposium from April 14-16, 2026. The event will bring together leading artificial intelligence experts from across New York State.