SciTech Scity is designed to be a center of innovation for Jersey City and the state. Its impact, however, can be much greater. The hope? To change the world.
At the groundbreaking event Friday, SciTech Scity and Sheba Medical Center of Israel formally signed a memorandum of understanding that will allow the famed health care institution to take one floor of the Edge Works, the eight-story incubator that is one of the pillars of the project.
On it, Sheba will create a simulation of the hospital of the future, one where innovative technology is conceived, developed and refined.
Sheba, considered one of the Top 10 health systems in the world, is a leader in health care technology involving and all things robotics and artificial intelligence around the globe. It uses its ARC Centers (“Accelerate, Redesign and Collaborate”) as a place where digital startups work alongside expert physicians to pinpoint unfulfilled clinical needs and develop effective solutions.
Eyal Zimlichman, the chief medical officer and chief innovation officer of Sheba, said Sheba intends to use its space at SciTech Scity to do that on a global scale.
“Sheba is looking to create a global impact,” he said. “We’re always looking to push our boundaries. We are looking to change health care around the world.
“It’s not as simple, but that’s our aim.”
Zimlichman said the partnership with Liberty Science Center and SciTech Scity will enable this to happen. The possibilities, he said, are easy to see.
Innovation, he said, can allow heart valve procedure to take 10 minutes, not six hours. And cost $1,000, not $100,000.
“We think it’s impossible or nearly impossible to do,” he said. “But, through innovation, it is possible.”
It’s the reason, Zimlichman said, Sheba is so eager for the partnership to start.
“We’re able, through innovation, to have huge impact on patient lives,” he said. “This is exactly what we’re aiming to do as part of this project. We want to bring our entire ecosystem, more than 100 members around the world, to converge here as part of this building.”
Hoffman said he can’t wait to begin.
The partnership will help everyone — but particularly those in underserved communities who haven’t previously had access to world-class care.
SciTech Scity is scheduled to open in 2024. Hoffman said he is thrilled that Sheba signed on to be the first tenant, as the potential global impact of the relationship defines the mission of SciTech Scity.
“It represents what we’re trying to do, maximize commercial success and social impact,” he said.