Daily Gazette

By: John Cropley

ALBANY — The Business Connection Forum began Tuesday and will continue through Thursday at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Albany.

The event, organized by the Center for Economic Growth in partnership with Silicon Europe Worldwide and NY Loves Nanotech, is designed as an opportunity for North American and European-based companies to explore and discuss opportunities in the Capital Region, relevant to autonomous operations, health applications, smart cities and advanced electronics.

It will feature seminars, company pitches, networking and keynote presentations. Representatives from organizations including IBM, GE, Siemens, Corning and GlobalFoundries will be among those attending and speaking.

Each day’s focus is on a specific growth area, starting Tuesday with regional support programs and technology, including seminars focusing on innovation, joint programs and support programs for small and medium-sized companies. The theme Wednesday is building relationships through pitches and pre-scheduled meetings between the organizations in attendance. Science and education are the focus Thursday — regional and international universities and labs will present their latest research, and companies and universities will have an opportunity to discuss potential collaborations.