Communications of the ACM
Columbia niversity Creates Data Sciences Institute
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (left) and Columbia University President Lee Bollinger (right) at the announcement of the city's funding of a new data sciences and engineering institute.
Credit: Columbia University
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger announced an agreement Monday (July 30) between the City of New York and Columbia University that will lead to the creation of a new Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering, to be located at Columbia's Morningside Heights and Washington Heights campuses in New York City, and the hiring of dozens of new faculty within the university's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
The announcement is the next milestone in the City's groundbreaking Applied Sciences NYC initiative, which seeks to dramatically increase New York City's capacity for applied sciences and engineering while strengthening and transforming the City's economy for generations. As part of the agreement, the City will provide $15 million in critical financial assistance to Columbia — which includes discounted energy transmission costs and partial debt forgiveness — as well as valuable lease flexibility leading to the development of the Institute.
The agreement includes the creation of 44,000 square feet of new applied science and engineering space on Columbia's campus by 2016 and the addition of 75 new faculty over the next decade and a half. The focus of the new institute will be on advances in the data sciences, attracting high-caliber faculty in specific fields of study, and expanding Columbia's research capabilities and funding, and building upon the school's recent successes in engineering. In addition, the institute will enhance the level of training available to the city's next wave of talented engineers and generate nearly $4 billion of economic growth across the five boroughs over the next three decades, bringing the total economic impact of the City's three Applied Sciences NYC projects to more than $33 billion over the same period.
"This historic partnership is newest element in the applied sciences initiative that is, by far, the largest and most far-reaching economic development effort City government has undertaken in modern memory," said Mayor Bloomberg. "It will create tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity, and it will encourage the growth of the tech sector in New York City and solidify our leadership in the innovation economy for decades to come."
"Through this Applied Science initiative Mayor Bloomberg has energized the conversation about the essential role of universities in our City's economic future," said President Bollinger. "We are proud of Columbia Engineering's ascent among its peers over the past decade and the impact of its constant stream of innovations on our economy. We know from experience that the creativity and dynamism of this new Data Sciences Institute will be ignited by collaborations that are possible because they are part of the wide diversity of intellectual excellence that defines not just a great urban research university like Columbia, but the genius of New York City itself."
The Columbia proposal was selected due to its impressive vision to build upon the University's recent successes in applied science and create an even greater impact for the City by developing a multi-disciplinary institute that will use research and scholarship to help address the challenges and the opportunities presented by a data-rich society. Data science in recent years has proven itself to be an important commercially viable area of research. The new Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering will focus on five specific areas which will be crucial to New York City's innovation economy in the 21st century, including a New Media Center, a Smart Cities Center, a Health Analytics Center, a Cybersecurity Center, and a Financial Analytics Center.
The new Columbia institute will complement the City's many other leading institutions, including the previous Applied Sciences NYC selections of the partnership between Cornell University and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, which will build a campus on Roosevelt Island, as well as an NYU-led consortium building the Center for Urban Science and Progress in Downtown Brooklyn. Collectively, these institutions will continue to strengthen New York City's global competiveness — including its growing technology sector — and ensure that the City establishes itself as a global hub of science, research, innovation and world-class urban solutions for the future.
Columbia will begin the development of the first of two phases of Institute immediately, first creating 44,000 square feet of new applied sciences and engineering facilities in existing buildings by August 2016 for the Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering. In addition, Columbia will hire 30 new faculty members as a part of the first phase, and ultimately expects to expand the Institute faculty to 75 by 2030.
In order to help offset a portion of the costs associated with this major investment by one of the nation's premier academic research institutions, the City and the New York City Economic Development Corporation will provide up to $15 million in benefits to Columbia, for the development of the Institute, including discounted energy transmission costs, partial debt forgiveness, as well as a lease amendment that will provide needed flexibility for the development of the Institute. The benefits are contingent upon Columbia meeting benchmarks associated with the hiring of the additional faculty and fit-out of agreed upon academic space. Columbia, for its part, will contribute at least $80 million in private investment to facilitate this project. The support from the City of New York to create additional space and hire this additional faculty will allow Columbia to begin, in full, the plans for the Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering.
This agreement will provide a major boost to the City's economy over the next several decades. According to an economic impact analysis conducted by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the Columbia project is expected to generate $3.9 billion (nominal) in overall economic activity over the next three decades, including 4,223 permanent jobs and 285 construction jobs. In addition, 170 companies are expected to spin-off in the City as a result of the project during this time. Collectively, with the Cornell/Technion and NYU-led consortium projects, the City's Applied Sciences NYC initiative will generate $33.2 billion (nominal) in overall economic activity, 48,241 permanent and construction jobs, and 945 spin-off companies by 2046, fulfilling the initiative's goal of dramatically transforming the City's economy for the 21st century.
"When we officially launched this groundbreaking initiative in 2010, among our stated goals was to achieve a critical mass of applied science and engineering activity here in New York City," said New York City Economic Development Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky. "This newest partnership, with one of the finest academic institutions in the world, is another important step towards achieving that goal. Columbia, which has long been a leader in this field, has been investing significantly in science and engineering over the past decade. We in the Bloomberg Administration are proud to be partnered with Columbia as it continues to build, benefiting both the university and the city it has long-called home."
"The support of Mayor Bloomberg and the City for the Data Sciences Institute ensures that Columbia Engineering will continue its growth and academic excellence, while building on our long and proud tradition of developing breakthrough innovations with the power to transform society," said Donald Goldfarb, interim Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
"This is another great step for New York City's future. I commend Mayor Bloomberg and Columbia University President Bollinger for their vision and leadership in turning this great idea into a reality," said Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). "A new institute for data sciences and engineering at Columbia's campuses will create a new research hub for science and technology, spurring job growth and attracting the next generation of talent."
"The strength of our city's universities is critical to New York's economic future," said Speaker Christine C. Quinn. "I am thrilled Columbia University has been selected as the third winner of the City's Applied Sciences Initiative, paving the way for it to create a new Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering and helping us attain our goal of making New York City the tech capital of the world. Efforts like these will help lead to new technological advances and discoveries, attract new companies to our city, and train the workforce of tomorrow."
"The announcement with Columbia University to create an applied sciences center is welcome news that will continue to push New York City in becoming a leader in the field," said Council Member Karen Koslowitz. "Tech and data sciences will be a large part of the future of jobs, industry and education and we must continue to partner with universities and institutions that specialize in this cutting edge area."
"Within a decade, our city will likely eclipse Silicon Valley as the nation's largest concentration of diverse engineering talent and technological innovation, thanks to the vision of the Bloomberg Administration and the commitments of Columbia, Cornell, The Technion, NYU Polytechnic and the City University of New York to create a cluster of new applied sciences institutions here," said Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO of the Partnership for New York City.
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