Middlesex County, New Jersey is paving the way for the development, testing and implementation of autonomous technology.
In fact, breakthrough innovation is already underway.
Middlesex County has partnered with the Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT), the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and private companies to tackle some of the country’s most pressing infrastructure challenges, especially those that are endemic in high-volume multimodal corridors like the Northeast.
Hear why Verizon selected Middlesex County as the location for their 5G Connected, Autonomous, Shared Electric Vehicles to transport hospital patients.
Discover the interconnected elements that create this thriving ecosystem and learn more about why
Middlesex County is the right fit for your autonomous technology company.
Behind those numbers are real people and real companies that want to share why they chose Middlesex County.
Middlesex County has progressive leadership engaging with CAIT and essentially providing an innovation ecosystem that can attract businesses and companies that would be working in these emerging areas and technologies such as connected and autonomous vehicles
Dr. Ali Maher
Director of Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation
The living lab at Middlesex County (DataCity) offers us the opportunity to bring these technologies to life in the place where you have the dense urban atmosphere and can put the technologies to the test
Arleny Valle
Mechanical Engineer, Verizon
In the News
A New Jersey county on the verge of an economic boom
Recognized globally as a hotbed for technological advancements and innovation…
Read MoreMiddlesex County, New Jersey: A hub for technology and innovation
The Fourth Industrial Revolution, with leading innovations like artificial intelligenc…
Read MoreMiddlesex County, New Jersey: Aiming to be America’s leading intersection for economic growth and opportunities
The future of business is taking shape in New Jersey. Developing a comprehensive, multi-faceted economic...
Read MoreExplore the elements that create the perfect ecosystem for autonomous technology to thrive
DataCity: Middlesex County’s Autonomous & Smart Mobility Initiative
Middlesex County has become a national leader in autonomous technology research and development. In conjunction with Rutgers University, the City of New Brunswick was awarded an Innovation Hub Smart Mobility Testing Ground designation in the New Jersey Economic Development Authority Innovation Challenge in 2019. Middlesex County took this opportunity to spearhead what will be the first autonomous and smart mobility testing corridor with complete end-to-end high-resolution sensor and cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) coverage in a heavily congested urban environment in the country.
DataCity will be the first-of-its-kind autonomous and smart mobility testbed and database. The corridor will be fully equipped with Self-Driving-Grade roadside sensors and computing devices to continuously collect vehicle, pedestrian, and infrastructure data from this urban corridor. The DataCity initiative will provide the unique opportunity to study electric, connected, and autonomous vehicle technology; and its data will be available to companies nationwide. The data eco-system that DataCity establishes in the testing ground will significantly reduce the data acquisition and collection cost for startup companies and R&D teams. It will also provide a potential monetization platform for their own mobility data generated or collected mobility data.
Moreover, the benefits of this autonomous and smart mobility technology include the potential to provide “safety, mobility, efficiency, convenience, economic, and other societal benefits,” as stated by a 2020 report from the New Jersey Advanced Autonomous Vehicle Task Force. Per the report, highly autonomous vehicle (HAV) technology could help improve quality of life in New Jersey, by “enabling more efficient use of land, providing enhanced affordable mobility to underserved communities, allowing affordable housing to become affordable living, and creating new job opportunities.” Operating in a location and ecosystem that fully and actively supports the research, development, and implementation of autonomous vehicle technology, as Middlesex County does, was crucial for the establishment of DataCity.
Government Support
The DataCity autonomous and smart mobility initiative and The New Brunswick Innovation Hub are possible because of the support of Middlesex County’s forward-thinking leadership. “We have an opportunity with this innovation center to bring the very best together, to really transform where we need to be in the future, to truly put ourselves on the map and recognize the importance of transportation infrastructure in serving our community. That’s the role government can play in working with the public, private and educational sectors to achieve our goals,” Middlesex County Administrator, John Pulomena.
“Middlesex County continues to partner with leading institutions and private companies to create DataCity, the nation’s foremost living lab for smart mobility and smart city technology in an urban environment. This is an example of the type of initiative and investment that the County will continue to make to promote and expand our leadership and footprint in the autonomous technology industry,”
Sandy Castor, Director of the Middlesex County Office of Business Engagement.
The Middlesex County Office of Business Engagement is dedicated to supporting local businesses’ wide variety of needs. From helping organizations find the right office and lab space, to workforce staffing and training, to facilitating public transportation with the Office of Transportation, to creating strategic business advisory groups, the County is focused on fostering an environment where business communities can succeed and thrive. Additionally, the County is proud to continue to strengthen and cultivate a high quality of life for its residents in the areas of arts, education, outdoor space, public health and safety, family friendly events, diversity, and healthcare, all critical to the quality of life for our businesses and their employees.
Rutgers Center For Advanced Infrastructure & Transportation
Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure & Transportation (CAIT) is a recognized leader in the field and one of ten Tier I University Transportation Centers (UTC), an elite group of academic research institutions sanctioned and supported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Along with DEVCO and the City of New Brunswick, they are supporting Middlesex County as we establish DataCity, a living laboratory for smart mobility and smart city technology R&D in downtown New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Location
Middlesex County is a desirable location for DataCity, a first-of-its-kind living laboratory because it’s directly inside the Northeast mobility corridor – which runs from Boston to D.C.
Middlesex County has a critical mass of expertise and talent from many research centers at Rutgers University and nearby Universities such as Princeton and programs at Middlesex College that can accelerate technology development. Its diverse local workforce can also help fulfill roles such as test drivers, data labelers, and other technical and maintenance support.
The New Brunswick Innovation Hub, as well as other innovation centers and incubators in the County provide streamlined support packages to foster the innovation environment needed for the Autonomous Vehicle Industry. Additionally, Middlesex County’s city innovation hubs and industrial parks can reduce business expenses and employee transportation and living expenses compared with competing larger metropolitan areas. Establishing R&D in smaller and medium cities has become a growing trend – especially since the pandemic.
Verizon Autonomous Shuttle Program
In partnership with Middlesex County, Verizon is working with Rutgers CAIT to develop an autonomous shuttle program running shuttle routes across medical campuses and communities – with the pilot program launching at the end of 2021. New Brunswick, NJ boasts world-class hospitals including Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and St. Peter’s University Hospital, to serve over 56,000 residents. The autonomous Verizon shuttles will pave the way for how healthcare transportation technology should (and is) advancing nationwide– and will drastically improve the current healthcare transportation efficiency within New Brunswick.
Get in Touch with the Middlesex County Business Engagement Team
Take advantage of our wide variety of tools and data, such as:
The Middlesex County Business PortalAn interactive, GIS-based economic development tool that provides resources to make site location decisions for commercial and industrial sectors. Downloadable traffic counts, marketplace profiles, and demographics are available at no cost.
Customized Market and Economic Modeling ReportsMarket & Economic Modeling Data provides you with customized site-specific insight for business expansion, decision making and site selection.
Employee Training ProgramsThrough the Office of Career Opportunities, Middlesex County offers tailored employee training programs that will enhance your employees’ skills and allow them to obtain industry recognized credentials.
Get Started