One of the benefits of being a delegate on a Choose New Jersey economic mission with the governor is getting a chance to pitch your product to a new, international audience.
Kean University officials did just that during a four-day trip to Canada with Gov. Phil Murphy, working the rooms — both formally and informally — in Toronto and Montreal.
In a speech in Toronto, President Lamont Repollet detailed the university’s commitment to fostering economic development and innovation through collaboration to a group of Toronto-area business leaders, noting several key initiatives:
“This program is a concrete example of how we’re helping to level the playing field, empower people, and spur economic growth by creating equitable opportunities for entrepreneurship,” he said.
“Students in our public architecture program are working with the community known as the Coalport neighborhood on a revitalization project focused on affordable housing, job creation and public health,” he said.
“ILSE is not just an institute; it is a thriving ecosystem that partners with innovators, academic institutions, and global public-private partnerships, including esteemed organizations like CARB-X and the American Type Culture Collection,” he said.
All of these programs go to Kean’s primary aim, Repollet said in the speech.
“Our mission is to bridge the gap between visionary ideas and market-ready solutions, providing our partners with invaluable resources such as diagnostics and therapeutics expertise, business strategy guidance, startup funding and robust research support,” he told the crowd.
Not all the talk was from a podium.
In Montreal, during an informative Q&A session with delegates and Quebec-area businesses, Repollet jumped at the chance to discuss the ILSE with a guest who asked about entrepreneurial opportunities in life science in New Jersey.
“The chance to be able to discuss our individual initiatives with individuals from specific companies is invaluable,” he said afterward. “These quick conversations here will lead to larger conversations down the road.”
The trip gave Repollet a chance to share all the key stats he has at his disposal, including how an independent report showed that Kean generates over $1.3 billion annually, supports more than 7,000 jobs and contributes $45 million in state tax revenue.
It also gave Repollet a chance to discuss Kean’s initiatives around the world.
The school, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary of having a campus in Wenzhou, China, is now getting involved in a different type of partnership in Brazil with SENAI, Brazil’s leading technology transfer and education organization.
“SENAI is dedicated to fostering high-quality scientific research and developing commercial applications that benefit the Brazilian people, particularly in its densely populated urban areas,” Repollet told Canadian groups. “This alignment makes SENAI an exceptional partner for New Jersey’s Urban Research University.”
Repollet said Kean is launching two programs with SENAI:
- Welcoming a visiting scientist from Brazil to collaborate with Kean’s Supratik Kar on critical Zika virus research.
- Applying for a one-year grant from 100,000 Strong in South America, an initiative by the U.S. Department of State, in collaboration with CIMATEC, that will support a bilateral exchange program involving students and faculty focused on researching and commercializing palm products.
Repollet said the trip gave him and Audrey Kelly, the executive director of the school’s board of trustees, the opportunity to introduce Kean University to a group audience.
“We’re always looking for opportunities to spread the word about what we’re doing in New Jersey,” he said.