NYFIRST

The New York Fund for Innovation in Research and Scientific Talent (NYFIRST) has been a critical recruitment tool for our medical schools since its launch in 2018. This targeted approach ensures New York is competitive for the best scientists by providing grants to attract top researchers with proven records of scientific discovery and entrepreneurship.

With more medical schools than any other state and a growing life sciences sector, biomedical research is a critically important part of New York State’s economy. The National Institutes of Health awarded $3.6 billion to scientists in New York State in 2023, 70% of which supported research at our medical schools. Still, we face steep challenges in recruiting and retaining research faculty. Texas invested a new $3 billion (bringing its total investment to $6 billion) in its Cancer Prevention Research Initiative (CPRIT).

Since 2009, CPRIT has awarded $854 million to support out-of-state recruitments. In 2020, California invested a new $5.5 billion (bringing the total investment to $10.5 billion) in the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. At the same time, New York State terminated the Empire State Stem Cell (NYSTEM) program, which funded many early-career scientists, creating the potential for a brain drain in stem cell research.

NYFIRST improves New York State’s competitive position in recruiting and retaining world-class scientific talent— an essential component of growing the state’s bioscience sector. To date, NYFIRST has generated $107 million in additional research funds brought to New York State. In the first four years of this program, the State has enabled the medical schools to recruit or retain 12 outstanding scientists, creating more than 150 new jobs with an average salary of $78,000. There has been a nearly 10:1 return on every state dollar invested in NYFIRST.