Rutgers gets federal boost to innovation

Rutgers University has received $500,000 in federal grant cash to support the development of a new innovation park in New Jersey which aims to stimulate academic and industry links.

Provided through the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Regional Innovation Strategies Programme, the money will be used to further develop plans for the proposed Innovation Park@Rutgers. The grant was one of a round of ten the EDA has made recently. Other universities receiving grants include Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh State, Tennessee, New Mexico State, and Washington State.

The proposed 30 acre site, currently vacant, will be built around $10m worth of computing resources, and will be accessible to both researchers and industry. Potential partners include life sciences and telecommunication companies, small-to-medium enterprises in New Jersey, state-backed enterprise organisations, and venture capitalists.

Christopher Molloy, Rutger’s senior vice president for research and economic development, said: “As the state university of New Jersey, Rutgers has a responsibility to leverage the world-class work by our scientists and engineers to benefit our state’s economy and its residents. We are developing a new strategy for creating a research park based on genuine collaboration with industry and government, along with technology commercialisation, workforce development and community partnerships.”