Empire State Development Corporation

New York State Science and Technology Foundation Program Oversight and Governance

A State-based public corporation, the New York State Science and Technology Foundation is part of the State's economic development strategy to create a more pro-business environment. Our audit examined the effectiveness of the Foundation's use of performance-based contracts to oversee its programs We found that the Foundation has implemented program monitoring and evaluation systems that enable it to effectively oversee and govern its Technology Development Organization (TDO), Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), and Centers for Advanced Technology (CAT) programs. The Foundation could take additional steps that would further strengthen those systems, such as the verification on a sample basis of data submitted by regional TDOs; and requiring high-quality documentation of economic impact figures reported for the CAT program, ensuring that CAT performance estimates are clearly identified as such, and developing means for maintaining the confidentiality of CAT data.

For a complete copy of Report 99-S-3 click here.
For a copy of the 90-day response click here.