Section 3161. Terms occurring in laws, contracts or other documents

Upon
  the transfer pursuant to section thirty-one hundred  fifty-six  of  this
  title  of  the  functions  and  powers  possessed  by  and  all  of  the
  obligations and  duties  of  the  New  York  state  office  of  science,
  technology  and  academic  research  as  established pursuant to article
  ten-B of the executive law to the foundation as  prescribed  by  section
  thirty-one  hundred fifty-six of this title, whenever the New York state
  office of science, technology and academic research and the  chairperson
  thereof,  the  functions,  powers,  obligations  and duties of which are
  transferred to the foundation are referred to or designated in any  law,
  contract  or  document  pertaining to the functions, powers, obligations
  and duties  transferred  and  assigned  pursuant  to  this  title,  such
  reference  or designation shall be deemed to refer to the foundation and
  its executive director. Notwithstanding any law  to  the  contrary,  all
  rights  and  benefits, including terms and conditions of employment, and
  protection of civil service and collective bargaining of  all  employees
  affected  by  the  transfer  of  the  New  York state office of science,
  technology and academic research to the foundation, shall  be  preserved
  and  protected under the transfer, and all transferred employees and all
  persons employed by  the  foundation  after  the  transfer,  except  for
  research   and   investigative  high  technology  scientists,  shall  be
  considered for all purposes of article fourteen of the civil service law
  public employees in the civil service of the state and employees who are
  transferred shall remain in the same collective bargaining unit and  any
  newly  created positions shall be assigned to the appropriate collective
  bargaining unit as if they were employees of the state. For proposes  of
  this  section,  the  term  "research  and  investigative high technology
  scientists" shall  mean  persons  with  an  understanding  of  empirical
  methodologies,  the  ability  to  apply  scientific  knowledge  to  test
  theories, and possessing the expertise to make  systematic  observations
  of  natural,  empirical  phenomena  that  can  also  be  conveyed  in  a
  meaningful way to policymakers.