British university bids to open New York campus
Published: 04 May, 2011
Warwick University is bidding to become the first UK university to set up a campus in the United States. Although there have been many partnerships between UK and US universities the Higher Education Statistics Agency, says there has not been a campus set up by a UK university in the US.
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel and New York City Economic Development Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky announced the City received 18 responses from academic institutions seeking to develop and operate a new applied science and engineering research campus in New York City. Twenty-seven institutions were involved in submitting proposals – formally, expressions of interest – in response to an invitation, issued by Mayor Bloomberg in December 2010, to join the Administration’s efforts to diversify the City’s economy and boost the growing technology sector. After reviewing the responses, the City will issue a Request for Proposals by this summer and will aim to select a proposal by the end of 2011.
Leading US universities competing with Warwick, include Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Columbia, New York University and Chicago. Bids also include universities in Finland, Switzerland, India, South Korea and Israel.
Mayor Bloomberg commented: “We were enormously optimistic that this once-in-a-generation opportunity would draw the interest of top caliber universities from New York City, the region and the world, and the number and breadth of responses is as strong an endorsement of the idea as we could have hoped for.
“The institutions that responded recognise the historic opportunity this initiative represents – to grow a presence in the world’s most dynamic, creative and globally connected city. For New York City, it’s an opportunity to increase dramatically our potential for economic growth – a game-changer for our economy. The day when a new campus opens its doors is still far down the road, but the quality of the initial responses is an incredibly promising sign that it can and will become a reality.”
The vice-chancellor of Warwick University, Professor Nigel Thrift said: "New York wants an applied science and engineering campus and that plays well to our particular strengths. Warwick is a unique, and uniquely successful, institution with an acknowledged global reputation both for the quality of our research and our strong and fruitful partnerships with industry - indeed a significant element of our success comes from those close partnerships with business and industry. We believe we can add value to this initiative through our experience in delivering strong successful applied science partnerships that bring together industry and academic researchers. We are delighted that Warwick is being considered, alongside strong bids from leading US universities, for such an exciting opportunity."
