Horizon BCBS donates $1M to SciTech Scity

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Liberty Science Center announced on July 8 that Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey donated $1 million to SciTech Scity to become a Founding Corporate Sponsor.

The funds affirm Horizon BCBS’s commitment to making lasting and positive change for its members and the communities it serves. Through its charitable giving arm, The Horizon Foundation of New Jersey says the contribution will ensure that the scientists of today and tomorrow have the tools and technologies needed to discover and pioneer breakthroughs that will make New Jersey, and the world, a healthier, better place for generations to come.

SciTech Scity is Liberty Science Center’s planned 30-acre innovation campus that aims to launch and grow dozens of world-changing science and technology companies and reimagine public school science education. The campus will bring together entrepreneurs, scientists, academics, students, and other thinkers and doers who share renowned computer scientist Alan Kay’s prescription that “the best way to predict the future is to invent it.”

“Innovation and technology will drive the health care improvements of tomorrow and SciTech Scity will bring a world-class facility devoted to those breakthroughs to New Jersey,” said Gary St. Hilaire, chief executive officer and president of Horizon. “Horizon’s members and the communities we serve will benefit for generations from the investment we are making in the discoveries, collaborations, and new approaches that will emerge from SciTech Scity. Their focus on reimagining the science curriculum will ensure that New Jersey’s students of today are ready to join the workforce of tomorrow.”

LSC President and CEO Paul Hoffman said he was “extremely grateful to Horizon for its commitment to and confidence in the SciTech Scity vision. Science and technology are the keys to the health and welfare of our country, and the betterment of all humanity. With SciTech Scity, we are building a unique campus to pioneer the necessary innovations to actualize this mission.”

With its donation, Horizon joins Bank of America, EY, and Verizon as Founding Corporate Sponsors of SciTech Scity. Other anchor supporters include the city of Jersey City; Joseph D. and Millie E. Williams; LSC board Co-Chair David Barry; and former U.S. Rep. Frank J. Guarini, for whom the SciTech Scity Innovation Campus will be named.

SciTech Scity’s first phase, scheduled to open in late 2023, includes:

Edge Works: A central location for innovation comprising two distinct hubs. The Works will have a fabrication lab, research and development spaces, offices, and coworking areas for startups and entrepreneurs. The Co-Creation Center will be a state-of-the-art conference center and tech exhibition gallery.

Scholars Village: Housing being developed by Alpine Residential for innovators, scientists, entrepreneurs, STEM graduate students, and individuals and families who desire to be a part of the SciTech Scity community.

Public Commons: A 5-acre outdoor park with activities that encourage exploration, creativity, collaboration and innovation. And, an events plaza for concerts, farmers markets, art exhibitions, and food-truck festivals.

Liberty Science Center High School: A county-wide public magnet STEM academy that will be a part of and operated by the Hudson County Schools of Technology offering programming in mathematics, engineering, computer sciences and basic sciences to students in grades 9 – 12, as well as support programs to under-served low-income middle school students in Jersey City and Hudson County, with interest in the sciences and who aspire to attend the institution.

Subsequent phases of SciTech Scity may include expanded incubation space, additional schools, and other facilities to drive STEM innovation and job creation.