NEWARK, Feb 27, 2018 – U.S. technology, government and academic leaders in the areas of data analytics and innovation in urban environments will meet at the new NJIT- Wellness and Events Center (WEC) in Newark October 15-16 to discuss city-university partnerships. The MetroLab Network, launched as part of the White House’s Smart Cities Initiative in 2015, selected NJIT to host its third National Summit. MetroLab’s group of more than 35 city-university partnerships, whose members include 41 cities, 4 counties, and 55 universities and industry leaders, will explore research, development, and deployment projects that improve infrastructure, public services, and environmental sustainability.
NJIT will hold the 2018 MetroLab National Summit in its new 220,000-square-foot Wellness and Events Center, a smart facility reflective of NJIT’s leading role in engineering and technology education.
NJIT President Joel S. Bloom said, “NJIT is the right place for this conference at the right time, because our city is in the midst of a renaissance and NJIT is a consistent innovator in the realm of technological partnership between industry, government, and higher education. The 2018 MetroLab Summit will bring together thought leaders from cities, universities, industry, and non-profits that are driving innovation in their communities throughout the U.S. and around the world.”
Donald Sebastian, president & CEO of NJII stated, “MetroLab’s selection of Newark is wonderful recognition of the importance of our partnership with the City and the promise of exciting things to come.”
Thomas Motyka, NJII’s senior executive director of smart cities innovation said, “Transforming America’s cities into “Smart Cities” that incorporate innovative technologies into their infrastructure requires cooperation among federal, state and local government, business leaders, private investment and the citizenry to drive the changes necessary to return our cities to their role as engines for economic growth.”
About NJIT
One of the nation’s leading public technological universities, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a top-tier research university that prepares students to become leaders in the technology-dependent economy of the 21st century. NJIT’s multidisciplinary curriculum and computing-intensive approach to education provide technological proficiency, business acumen and leadership skills. With an enrollment of 11,400 graduate and undergraduate students, NJIT offers small-campus intimacy with the resources of a major public research university. NJIT is a global leader in such fields as solar research, nanotechnology, resilient design, tissue engineering, and cybersecurity, in addition to others. NJIT is among the top U.S. polytechnic public universities in research expenditures, exceeding $130 million, and is among the top 1 percent of public colleges and universities in return on educational investment, according to PayScale.com. NJIT has a $1.74 billion annual economic impact on the State of New Jersey.
About NJII
The New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) is an NJIT corporation that applies the intellectual and technological resources of the state’s science and technology university to challenges identified by industry partners. Through its Innovation Labs (iLabs), NJII brings NJIT expertise to key economic sectors, including healthcare delivery systems, bio-pharmaceutical production, civil infrastructure, defense and homeland security, and financial services.
About MetroLab
The MetroLab Network’s mission is to pair university researchers with city policymakers to undertake research, development, and deployment projects that improve infrastructure, public services, and environmental sustainability.
