The Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park, known as the Technology Farm, is a 72-acre research park located adjacent to the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station. Opened in November 2005, the park is designed to foster the creation of innovative technologies related to food and agriculture. In this environment, startup companies, small businesses, and large multinational companies can leverage the resources and intellectual capital available at Cornell University, the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, and other regional centers of expertise. Within the Technology Farm’s “IP-Free Zone,” the development and unfettered ownership of intellectual property makes for an exceptionally business-friendly climate.
The Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park campus features a 20,000-square-foot, multi-tenant flex technology incubator. Thirteen businesses call Flex Tech I their home. The park developed three pilot production plant areas in 2006, including a new Food and Beverage Innovation Center. These pilot production areas enable the park’s tenants to take newly developed products from the laboratory into a commercial production environment. In 2007 the Technology Farm was named Intelligent Facility of the Year by the Intelligent Community Forum in a highly competitive, international awards process.