Economic Development

The Office of Resource and Economic Development's mission is to help New Jersey businesses and communities grow and thrive. Through the many programs and services of this office, the NJAES is well positioned to identify emerging economic issues, nurture solutions to these issues, and build the economic resiliency of the state’s industries, communities and residents.

For more information about the Office of Resource and Economic Development programs and services, contact:

Peggy Brennan-Tonetta, Ph.D.
Associate Director, NJAES and Director, Resource and Economic Development
Phone: 848-932-3776
Email: mbrennan@rutgers.edu

Services

1. Program Evaluation - evaluation of the impacts/benefits/changes to program participant populations resulting from their involvement in Rutgers programs.

Innovation Centers

NJAES is home to all of Rutgers’ business incubators, and are a vital economic engine for New Jersey. The Innovation Centers at NJAES encompass food, renewable energy and aquaculture. They provide essential business and technology services that build and support viable companies, spur innovation, and improve the skills of New Jersey workers.

1. Food Innovation Centers – located in Bridgeton (Cumberland County) and Piscataway (Middlesex County). With business, technical, regulatory, and manufacturing expertise - the FICs offer everything to support a food business from concept to commercialization.
2. EcoComplex – located in Columbus (Burlington County), the EcoComplex is a “Clean Energy Innovation Center”, providing applied research capabilities, unique facilities, business and technical expertise, and incubation services for clean energy and greenhouse businesses.
3. Aquaculture Innovation Center – located in Cape May, the AIC supports production of disease resistant seed oysters, critical to the efforts to revitalize the oyster industry and water quality in Delaware Bay. AIC also provides aquaculture entrepreneurs with unique business incubator facilities and equipment.

Resources

1. New Jersey Clean Energy Resource Network - unique database of over 300 business, technical and training resources essential for growing clean energy businesses and educating "green" workers in New Jersey.
2. New Jersey BioEnergy Calculator - interactive bioenergy database of 40 biomass feedstocks for every county in NJ. Also, calculates potential biopower and biofuel generation from current and projected biomass feedstocks and twelve bioenergy technologies, through 2025.
3. NJ Land Use + Transit Data Application Website - custom web application that allows users to map, report, and download a range of land use, travel, public transit, demographic, and real estate development data.
4. New Jersey Land Link - custom web application to help farmers and land owners connect through a database of available farmland, farming opportunities, and land characteristics.
5. NJDEP Cooperative Coastal Monitoring Program Website - custom web application for the collection and monitoring of beach water quality data and beach closures.
6. OceanAdapt Website - custom web application that allows users to visualize the impacts of climate change and other factors on the distribution of marine life.
7. New Jersey Hydrologic Modeling Database Website - custom web application for the collection and monitoring of hydrologic data and storm water basin management projects in NJ.
8. Agritourism: Budgeting for a Corn Maze Website -  interactive online budgeting tool for the development of a corn maze.
9. Rutgers Cranberry Production and Profitability Website- interactive web application for performing a break-even analysis of growing Rutgers cranberries.