New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) as has been announced as the first academic partner at the Northeast Science and Technology (NEST) Center in Kenilworth. The university plans to establish the NJIT @ NEST Center for Translational Research with the goal of expanding upon its track record of translating fundamental research into products and services that benefit humanity.
Ranked as one of the nation’s top research universities (R1) by the Carnegie Classification and as a top 50 public university by U.S. News & World Report, NJIT is set to expand its presence into the NEST campus, occupying 25,000 square feet at building 15 NEST.
The NJIT @ NEST Center for Translational Research will equip professors and students with a dedicated area to conduct groundbreaking research and accelerate the transformation of discoveries into tangible solutions for real-world problems.
“New Jersey is at the forefront of life sciences and technology innovation, and this partnership between NJIT and the NEST Center solidifies our position as a global leader in these critical industries,” Gov. Phil Murphy said. “By investing in academic-industry partnerships, we’re not only fostering groundbreaking research but also creating jobs and driving economic growth that benefit all New Jerseyans. I’m proud to see NJIT and NEST lead the way in shaping the future of science and technology.”
“This partnership will provide NJIT’s researchers with access to first-class lab spaces and will open up tremendous opportunities for collaboration with others at the NEST Center,” NJIT President Teik C. Lim, said. “This opportunity aligns perfectly with our vision and new strategic plan, which calls for an expansion of NJIT’s role as a nexus of innovation that brings together people and ideas from around the world to spur creativity, innovation and high-impact practical research.”
NJIT’s researchers and students will utilize the facility to explore cutting-edge fields, including life sciences, biomedical engineering, biology, material science and engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry, computing, and artificial intelligence fields.
“The ecosystem created between the private and public sector and both large companies and startups is best anchored by academia,” John Saraceno, co-founder and managing principal of Onyx Equities. “For these reasons, we felt it was critical to bring NJIT—an institution of the highest caliber—to NEST. The decision for the university to move these facilities to the NEST campus will positively impact both health care and humanity.”
This partnership follows the recent announcements of CoreWeave establishing an AI co-location data center at the 11 NEST building and Revlon relocating its Science and Innovation Lab to part of the 15 NEST building. The location of CoreWeave and NJIT on the NEST campus supports NJIT’s growth in machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and robotics, with the goal of becoming a major player in AI innovation in higher education.
Dan Loughlin of JLL and Jonathan Scheinberg of Outshine Properties represented the ownership group of Onyx Equities, Machine Investment Group, and Pivot Real Estate Partners.
