Amid all the talk of an upstate high-tech renaissance, the past can be prologue here in the Southern Tier.

Once driven by institutions like IBM and Singer Link, our region has maintained its spirit of innovation even as the landscape has shifted, thanks in part to the long-standing commitment of the higher education community.

The clean energy transition, for example, requires advances in battery technology pioneered by our own Nobel laureate M. Stanley Whittingham. SUNY Broome is a key partner in training the green energy workforce of the future. And Binghamton University is poised to be a player in the state’s effort to harness artificial intelligence for the public good.

As we help New York, the nation and the world understand the power of next-generation technology, we’re attracting talented people to learn from and with our dedicated scholars. We still face a challenge, however, when it comes to persuading these people to stay here to live, work, and raise their families.

Whether you come from academia, own a business, or are simply a resident who believes in the region’s long-term success, it’s incumbent upon us to meet this moment. We must advocate for ourselves as a region that can support high-tech industries with a strong workforce that has the ingenuity to run them.

We’re on our way, thanks in part to the three federally funded initiatives that aim to transform upstate New York into the nation’s battery capital. With over $300 million in potential funding, the influence of New Energy New York and the Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine is profound. These programs will position our region at the forefront of a sector projected to bring economic growth and high-paying careers.

Meanwhile, our researchers are solving urgent problems with artificial intelligence. They’re using AI to predict health issues, analyzing massive data sets on behavior, and bolstering cybersecurity. These projects are changing industries including healthcare and energy and ensuring that our region will be a player in the high-tech future.

Next we must do more to help local people train for careers in these growing industries. As the state works to locate workforce development centers upstate through Gov. Kathy Hochul’s ON-RAMP program, the Southern Tier is a natural fit.

With companies such as Micron, Wolfspeed, and GlobalFoundries expanding the state’s semiconductor footprint, Greater Binghamton must support complementary companies such as Universal Industries and work to attract firms in this sector. Our region has viable legacy facilities and infrastructure, but conversations about developments like the Broome Technology Park are vital. We should be strategic and bold in our efforts to lure businesses that require new facilities.

Bringing companies to the Southern Tier is essential to cultivating and retaining the next generation, because sustainable economic growth will help spur the housing, community services, and amenities that our community needs.

We need only to look at the strong technology sector in our history books to see the potential that lies ahead of us — if we work together to seize it.

Bahgat Sammakia is a distinguished professor of mechanical engineering and the vice president for research at Binghamton University.