Eighty universities nationwide hold the prestigious “Innovation and Economic Prosperity” designation from the APLU. CAIT’s workforce development and applied research initiatives aided Rutgers in recently securing this substantial recognition.

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) has designated Rutgers University–New Brunswick as an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University in recognition of its substantial and sustained commitment to economic engagement in the region.

Rutgers—New Brunswick received the honor after an independent panel assessed the university’s application, which included an internal review of economic engagement, innovation, and talent development activities, as well as input by external audiences on these topics. In a university-wide self-study, Rutgers identified and highlighted key units driving innovation and economic development.

Among them, the Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT), was highlighted for its status as a “Beyond Traffic Innovation Center” by the U.S. Department of Transportation, practical research addressing infrastructure challenges endemic to the Northeast Region such as assessing bridge health and formulating strategies to increase the service life of infrastructure, and workforce development efforts training more than 11,000 transportation professionals annually in everything from traffic incident management to heavy equipment operation.

Other Rutgers units recognized include the:

“For an institution that prides itself in leading innovative programs that benefit so many partners – communities, industries and government, to name just a few – this APLU recognition is a great point of pride,” said Rutgers–New Brunswick Chancellor Francine Conway. “It encourages us to take on ever-greater challenges that will benefit the public good.”

Valid for five years with renewal eligibility, the designation allows Rutgers—New Brunswick to apply for additional Innovation and Economic Prosperity University awards. These awards specifically commend exceptional economic engagement initiatives, potentially securing additional resources for advancing the university’s economic development endeavors.

The national designation highlights Rutgers’ role as an economic catalyst through transformative innovations in academic initiatives, pioneering research and impactful community outreach programs. This includes business incubators that have launched thousands of startups, technologies addressing agricultural challenges and the university’s involvement in the New Jersey Health and Life Science Exchange (HELIX) in downtown New Brunswick, which is intended to become a leading hub for research, commercialization and education.

State-of-the-art laboratories, offices, and work and learning spaces will come together at the HELIX site located across from the New Brunswick Train Station to foster innovation throughout Middlesex County and beyond.

Researchers working at CAIT's DataCity lab.

Researchers working at CAIT’s DataCity lab.

CAIT researchers will also be stationed at HELIX, as the Exchange will house the DataCity Smart Mobility Testing Ground. DataCity is a collaborative project between CAIT, Middlesex County, NJDOT and other partners that has transformed downtown New Brunswick into a living lab for collecting smart mobility data that will support the future of autonomous vehicle.

DataCity opens the door for transportation agencies and startups in the Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) industry to collaborate through data sharing, application development, and evaluation of CAV technologies in a real-world environment. The testing ground is designed to bring innovative solutions to the issues of congestion, safety, and community equity, while accelerating economic development in the region.

The APLU is an association of university leaders collectively working to increase access, equity, and workforce readiness; promote innovative research; and support economic and community development efforts at public research universities.

“Economic development is a major pillar of universities’ work,” said Mark Becker, president of the APLU. “From talent development to groundbreaking research to entrepreneurship and beyond, institutions have a central role to play in economic development. We’re pleased to recognize Rutgers University—New Brunswick for its commitment to engaging its community around these issues to advance regional economic development.”

Read more about the Rutgers—New Brunswick designation here.