New Jersey Future To Participate in Trenton Innovation Challenge Grant

October 2nd, 2018 by Elaine Clisham

New Jersey Future is a strategic partner in the $100,000 state Innovation Challenge Grant awarded to a consortium in the City of Trenton, and played a key role in the application process.

The grant will help the city develop the Trenton Production and Knowledge Innovation Campus, envisioned as an incubator, maker’s campus and training center near the Trenton Transit Center. Its investments will focus on both real estate development and workforce entrepreneurship training and mentoring, and will involve partnerships with several area institutions of higher learning as well as Trenton public schools.

The project will be governed by a consortium of nonprofit and educational anchor institutions. Each institution, including New Jersey Future, will provide one staff person, who will sit on the consortium’s governing board, and who will participate in meetings, convenings, and planning exercises.

New Jersey Future brings to the project insight gained from the research and policy work it has done on place-based economic development, strategic investments in infrastructure, and building local capacity to plan and execute forward-looking redevelopment initiatives. It will offer strategic guidance and resource identification for the project.

New Jersey Future has long been active in Trenton revitalization initiatives, including the Trenton Transit Center Advisory Committee; the Assunpink Creek Daylighting Plan; the Trenton 319h grant and Municipal Action Team program, addressing city flooding and stormwater issues; and development of the soon-to-be-released Trenton Transit Center Strategic Action Blueprint, with which the Trenton Production and Knowledge Innovation Campus is coordinated.

The challenge grant is one of nine competitive grants awarded by the state Economic Development Authority with the objective of spurring the growth of innovation ecosystems around the state. More information on the selection criteria and other awardees may be found here.