UPDATE for Life Sciences Companies from Empire State Development (ESD)
January 23, 2018
Objective
The Life Sciences Research and Development Tax Credit Program is designed to support new life sciences businesses locating, inventing, commercializing and producing in New York State.
Overview
Program Highlights
Program credits of $10 million per year can be allocated and used to encourage new businesses to conduct their research and development in the State.
Qualified life sciences companies may be eligible to receive a fully refundable credit based on qualified research and development expenditures incurred in New York State (NYS). The credit is 15 percent for a company that employs 10 or more persons and 20 percent for a company that employs 10 or less.
The credit is allowed for up to three consecutive years beginning with the first taxable year on or after January 1, 2018 during which the qualified life sciences company meets the eligibility criteria. The credit is capped at $500,000 per year for a lifetime cap of $1.5 million.
Eligibility
The Program is available to a new business entity that devotes the majority of its efforts to the various stages of research, development, technology transfer and commercialization related to any life sciences field.
Life sciences means agricultural biotechnology, biogenerics, bioinformatics, biomedical engineering, biopharmaceuticals, academic medical centers, biotechnology, chemical synthesis, chemistry technology, medical diagnostics, genomics, medical image analysis, marine biology, medical devices, medical nanotechnology, natural product pharmaceuticals proteomics, regenerative medicine, RNA interference, stem cell research, medical and neurological clinical trials, health robotics and veterinary science.
Research and development expenditures are defined as qualified research expenses of the federal research and development tax credit [Section 41(b) of the internal revenue code] incurred in New York State on or after January 1, 2018. Qualified expenditures do not include contract research expenses.
A qualified life sciences company must be a new business.
Application materials are now posted: https://esd.ny.gov/life-sciences-tax-credit-program