Rutgers, Princeton Come Together Under One Roof At NJ Tech Hub

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — On Thursday, Gov. Phil Murphy unveiled a dramatic new plan where Rutgers University, Princeton University, Hackensack Meridian Health and RWJ Barnabas will come together under one roof: The New Jersey Innovation and Technology Hub.

The plan calls for the opening of a ten-story, 210,000-square-foot building located in downtown New Brunswick, within walking distance of the Northeast Corridor rail line. This will be a completely new complex built on what is currently a vacant lot; there used to be a garage there that was torn down.

The building will be owned by the city of New Brunswick; Rutgers, Princeton, Hackensack Meridian and RWJBarnabas will technically be "tenants."

Think of it as an innovation campus, said the governor. The goal of the Hub is to harness New Jersey's position as a leader in the fields of life sciences, healthcare, pharmaceutical, technology and data technology.

"This is where new businesses will be born and new jobs will be created," vowed Gov. Murphy on Thursday. "Nowhere else will have such research power under one roof. These are businesses that will be able to walk down a hall and collaborate with science and pharmaceutical researchers."

And they're looking for private companies to join them. The governor said the door is "wide open" for private firms like Johnson & Johnson, Merck and others to rent space there.

The Hub is not scheduled to open until 2024.

Murphy compared it to the Bell Labs-Lucent technologies site in Holmdel, which in its heyday was the home of such scientific breakthroughs as the short-wave radio, the microwave and groundbreaking work on the Big Bang Theory.

The governor said New Jersey has fallen behind as a national leader in science and research discoveries.

"I've often said that our economic future resides in innovation," said Murphy. "We have let other states gain a step on us in areas that have historically been ours. This will a place to revolutionize research and reposition New Jersey as the global home of innovation. Companies will not just want to come to New Jersey; they will be born in New Jersey."

"Think about all Rutgers does. Think about all Princeton does. Then think about that Rt. 1 corridor," he continued. "It is the ultimate 1 + 1 equals 3."

The building, which you can see a rendering of above, will include a ground floor makers’ space, 55,000 square feet of research space, lab space and "incubator" space for start-ups. It will be financed using tax and non-tax sources through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

The Hub will be connected to the $750 million Rutgers Cancer Pavilion, the first free-standing cancer treatment center in the state of New Jersey, operated by RWJBarnabas Health. Construction on the 12-story structure just started this year; it has not opened yet.

"We fully expect this will be a game changer," said Rutgers president Jonathan Holloway. "The Hub can lead to unimaginable new technologies in healthcare, life sciences and data analytics."

"We will bring together a range of industries and share a common goal: Science and technology breakthroughs," said Bob Garett, the CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health.

The Hub building will be organized into three major components:

• Innovation Center: A modern workspace designed to foster collaboration among researchers, entrepreneurs, start-up companies and others. This space will be available for a variety of membership packages providing a collaborative, full-service work environment.

• Core Partner Space: This 55,000 square foot area will provide Rutgers University, RWJBarnabas Health, Hackensack Meridian Health, and DEVCO with collaborative and office spaces ensuring proximity to the Innovation Center and fostering direct connections with innovators in real time.

• Corporate or Institutional Tenant: The remaining 60,000 square feet (three stories) will be available for separate leases by corporate or institutional tenants. The first among these will be Princeton University.

In addition to the core tenants, there will be participation from industries such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, life sciences, advanced technologies, telecom, AI, fintech and others, said the governor's office.

The Hub is anticipated to break ground in the summer of 2021 and be open by January 2024.

Related: Rutgers To Build First Free-Standing Cancer Hospital In NJ (May 2020)