The new NJIT @ NEST Center for Translational Research in Kenilworth occupies part of a 1.2 million-square-foot building now known as 15 NEST, which up until recently served as Merck & Co.’s global research headquarters. — Courtesy: NJIT/Onyx Equities
By Joshua Burd
New Jersey Institute of Technology has officially launched a new research hub at the Northeast Science and Technology Center in Kenilworth, where it’s leasing 25,000 square feet from a joint venture that’s repositioning the former Merck & Co. campus.
According to the university, the site on Galloping Hill Road is home to four professors and 26 students who now have access to world-class laboratory space for research in photonics, biomaterials, environmental science and sustainable technologies. The facilities — part of a campus owned by Onyx Equities, Machine Investment Group and Pivot Real Estate Partners — allow the postgraduate and undergraduate to:
- Develop novel imaging and photo-responsive materials to study pathological processes
- Create polymeric systems for drug delivery and gene therapy
- Innovate chemical recycling strategies for consumer plastics
- Investigate water-particulate interactions that govern the fate of contaminants to design sustainable solutions for global environmental challenges
“By becoming the first academic partner at NEST, NJIT is achieving a significant milestone in the creation of a life science, technology and pharmaceutical research hub,” NJIT President Teik C. Lim said. “Our researchers and students will utilize the facility to explore cutting-edge fields, including life sciences, biomedical engineering, biology, material science and engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry, computing and artificial intelligence. And the NJIT @ NEST Center for Translational Research will expand upon our track record of translating fundamental research into products and services that benefit humanity while also expanding New Jersey’s economy and strengthening its technological workforce.”
Lim noted that NJIT’s environmental engineering research program has been able to grow its environmental systems modeling, water and wastewater treatment, site remediation and environmental impact analysis studies on its main Newark campus since moving research teams to NEST, just a few miles away. That follows a late 2024 announcement that the acclaimed university would lease the space, joining a high-profile tenant roster as Onyx revamps the 2 million-square-foot property off the Garden State Parkway.
“Moving to NEST affords NJIT students with world-class laboratory facilities,” said Matt Flath, senior vice president of asset management at Onyx. “Our site allows them incredible access to the researchers and organizations that are already at the NEST Center, and those who will join in the months and years to come.”
Dan Loughlin of JLL and Jonathan Scheinberg of Outshine Properties represented ownership in the lease, while a Murphy Schiller & Wilkes LLP team led by Charles J. Wilkes served as leasing counsel to NJIT.
