ALBANY — SUNY’s flagship centers, stymied by years of state funding cuts, are now eligible for competitive grants that likely would also trigger tuition increases.

Gov. Cuomo announced the innovative use of existing state economic development funding and SUNY capital funds for the university centers in Buffalo, Binghamton, Albany and Stony Brook yesterday. Any tuition increases would have to be approved by the Legislature, Cuomo said.

Each university center could win as much as $35 million in challenge grants.