The World Economic Forum (WEF) has awarded its 2025 Public-Private Collaboration Award to the Healthcare Innovation Engine, an initiative of SciTech Scity, Liberty Science Center’s 30-acre innovation campus under development in Jersey City.
The award was presented on Oct. 21 in San Francisco’s City Hall at WEF’s Annual Urban Transformation Summit. The event brought together more than 300 participants from more than 25 countries focused on sustainable redevelopment, mobility transformation, innovation ecosystems, nature-positive infrastructure, technology governance and other issues.
“We award cities that show what’s possible when public purpose, private innovation and community vision work as one,” noted Vivian Brady-Phillips, WEF’s head of Strategic Initiatives for Urban Transformation. “Each of these cities faced a profound challenge, and in every case this challenge became a catalyst for collaboration. Their achievements remind us that this is how cities truly transform – not through isolated breakthroughs but through purpose-led collaboration.”
SciTech Scity’s Healthcare Innovation Engine was the only entity based in the United States to be recognized this year for convening world-leading public-private collaborations.
Operating as a multi-stakeholder ecosystem, the engine supports health-care startups and clinical and operational pilots, and connects innovators with health-care providers, payers and policymakers. Its goal is to advance digital health solutions that improve patient outcomes, reduce hospitalizations, and promote health equity across New Jersey.
“We created SciTech Scity to position Jersey City at the forefront of innovation, and this recognition from the World Economic Forum affirms that vision,” said Jersey City Mayor Steven M. Fulop. “Being the only U.S.-based recipient highlights not just the strength of our partnerships, but also the global relevance of the work being done right here in Jersey City to expand access to equitable healthcare through technology and collaboration.”
The Healthcare Innovation Engine is the first statewide initiative for digital health adoption in the U.S., bringing together public, private, and academic stakeholders to accelerate the use of innovative, digital-first approaches to health care, particularly in underserved communities.
Its members include RWJBarnabas Health, New Jersey Economic Development Authority, EY, Bristol Myers Squibb, Nokia Bell Labs, Tech Council Ventures, Princeton University, New Jersey Innovation Institute, New Jersey Departments of Health and Human Services, Sheba Medical Center (Israel), and Jersey City Department of Health and Human Services.
Since its launch in 2024, the engine has initiated two patient pilots. They are:
- A 50-patient program with BioBeat, the first FDA-approved cuffless blood pressure patch. The patch, developed by the Israeli company BioBeat, is worn on the chest for 24 hours and transmits blood pressure data to physicians via a smartphone app, allowing clinicians to respond proactively and potentially prevent complications.
- An initiative with Dimer Health, a New Jersey-based startup providing daily remote support for uninsured patients discharged from Jersey City Medical Center’s emergency room. By delivering follow-up, guidance, and early intervention, the program aims to cut preventable readmissions and improve patient outcomes for high-risk populations.
Future pilots are planned in adolescent mental health, opioid addiction, oncology, cardiology, and maternal health, further expanding the engine’s impact.
