The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has given a $3 million grant to independent non-profit New York Genome Center (NYGC) to help build the infrastructure needed to support a large-scale genome sequencing and bioinformatics facility for translational research.

By combining the power of 11 top-tier academic institutions, together with leaders in technology and pharmaceuticals, NYGC expects to create more than 500 science-related jobs over the next five years, with a significant impact on science and technology.

This grant will enable the recruitment and support of core bioinformatics and sequencing professionals, part of a team that is expected to number 350 over the next several years. Not only will NYGC create hundreds of jobs in a growth industry, but it also will create the genomics and bioinformatics capacity for New York that will allow it to compete globally, diversify the city's economy by expanding its applied sciences sector, and ultimately drive the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics in order to greatly impact patient care.

Founded in August 2010, NYGC brings together the expertise and resources of world-class universities, medical centers, technology partners, pharmaceutical companies and private philanthropists that are engaged in a cooperative effort to transform medical research and clinical care. NYGC intends to become one of the largest genomic facilities in North America, establishing an unprecedented, large-scale collaborative venture in genomic medicine.

Nancy J. Kelley, founding executive director of the NYGC, will be the principal investigator on the project.