About CUSP How and Why CUSP Came to Be

In 2012, New York City challenged top institutions around the world to design an applied science campus that would make the city a world capital of science and technology, as well as dramatically grow its economy. New York University and NYU-Poly, along with a consortium of world-class universities and some of the foremost international tech companies, proposed CUSP, a new kind of academic center that functions in collaboration with the city itself.

The proposal was accepted, and on April 23, 2012 Mayor Bloomberg announced the launch of CUSP.

Over the next five years, 370 Jay Street will be transformed into a cutting-edge center for research and science that will give another huge boost to our city’s economy,” “Our Administration has long seen the promise of Downtown Brooklyn, and we’ve made the investments needed to transform it into a thriving center for business. With the addition of this new campus, Brooklyn will be one of the most dynamic environments for entrepreneurs anywhere in the country.”Michael Bloomberg, Mayor, New York City

CUSP simultaneously responds to two important challenges:

  • The very specific challenge the Bloomberg Administration issued under the banner of Applied Sciences NYC
  • The grand technical, intellectual, engineering, academic, and human challenges posed by a rapidly urbanizing world.
For the first time in history, more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas; in just a few more decades, 70 percent will live in cities. Enabling those cities to deliver services effectively, efficiently, and sustainably while keeping their citizens safe, healthy, prosperous, and well‑informed will be among the most important undertakings of this century.
CUSP tackles these urban challenges with
New York City as its laboratory and classroom. CUSP sets the research agenda for “the science of cities.” CUSP also educates the next generation of engineers in how to apply that research, bring innovative ideas to a world market, and create a new, fast-growing, and indispensable industry — and the many jobs that come along with it.