NYFIRST

NYFIRST ensures that New York’s academic medical centers are competitive for the best scientific talent in the world, supporting new treatments and cures and driving economic growth.

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. In 2019, Texas invested a new $3 billion (bringing its total investment to $6 billion) in its Cancer Prevention Research Initiative.

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.

The State’s commitment of $12 million to date has resulted in 12 major recruitments or retentions that have created more than 180 jobs in science with average salaries of $75,000. Further, the medical schools’ required matching funds have led to more than $40 million in additional spending. NYFIRST is among the lowest-risk and highest yield economic development investments investment the State makes.