Nicholas Querques

Nicholas Querques is the Vice President of Industry and External Affairs at SUNY Research Foundation (RF), the largest comprehensive university-connected research foundation in the country, administering over $1.1 billion in research expenditures annually across the SUNY campus system. In his role, Nick leads initiatives and services aimed at promoting technology translation, commercialization, and entrepreneurship throughout SUNY’s extensive research enterprise, supporting SUNY affiliated companies in their growth, telling and selling the story of SUNY, and fostering partnerships and joint ventures with industry and government to bring SUNY technology to market. He is responsible for overseeing RF’s business units that handle intellectual property and licensing, new ventures, marketing, communications, and external relations and partnerships. Nick has over 16 years of experience building, scaling, and leading strategic initiatives and programs that serve inventors, entrepreneurs, and companies at the intersection of academia, government, and industry. Previously, Nick was Director of New Ventures at RF, where he managed a portfolio of initiatives focused on promoting entrepreneurship and commercialization across SUNY’s billion-dollar annual research enterprise. Before that, he was Program Manager for Technology to Market at NYSERDA, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, overseeing a $130 million portfolio focused on innovation and technology development for early-stage companies in the energy sector. Nick also held the position of Assistant Vice President for Clean Energy Programs at the University at Albany’s College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering. In 2010, he co-founded MICROrganic Technologies, a biotechnology startup that is commercializing microbial fuel cell technologies for wastewater treatment applications. Nick is actively involved in New York’s innovation ecosystem, serving on the board of directors for the Upstate Capital Association of New York and the Long Island High Technology Incubator, as well as on the advisory boards of the Central New York Biotech Accelerator and New York Small Business Development Center. Nick also serves on the investment committee of Upstate Biotech Ventures, a first of its kind venture capital fund for SUNY that invests in life sciences and health tech startups affiliated with Upstate Medical University. He holds a BS in finance and management, magna cum laude, and an MBA in information technology and nanotechnology from the University at Albany.