The proposed NJ PFAS Partnerships Innovation Consortium (NJ PFAS-PIC) will build on the tremendous collaborative synergy and commitment from all stakeholder groups to develop the university-industry-government-community ecosystem to focus on innovation translation to market and communities for technology validation, scaling, manufacturing, and adoption by the communities for greater societal and economic benefits.
Researchers at NJ leading universities have developed innovative solutions to address PFAS contamination crises in drinking water, wastewater, soil, and environment along with novel alternative materials to be used in consumable products for validating and translating the detection, remediation, decontamination and management technologies working with industry, state regulatory agencies and utilities companies to communities for societal benefits and economic impact. Recently, NJIT researchers created a new start-up, PFASolve, Inc for translational validation towards commercialization of 5 technology innovations in PFAS detection, monitoring and destruction. Other universities in NJ have also invented technology solutions in PFAS detection, monitoring and destructions and created start-ups through their technology transfer offices and incubators for exploring commercialization potential and pathways. The proposed NJ PIC-PFAS consortium will build the collaborative synergy-based ecosystem to support start-ups in validating and commercialization of technology innovative solutions for translation to communities.
NJIT is uniquely qualified to lead the proposed strategic initiative on establishing the NJ PFAS-PIC with more than 12 faculty researchers with over 6 technologies ready for advance translational research supported by the NJIT Center for Translational Research, federal, state and institutional funds, and industry partners. The strategic initiative is well aligned with the NJIT 2030 Strategic Plan with the strong commitment to develop strategic innovation partnerships for higher societal and economic impact in the region and the state of New Jersey.
The proposed NJ PFAS-PIC will create a unique collaborative research and innovation translation synergy and partnerships among the following leading academic institutions, industry, utilities, and community organizations.
NJIT Center for Translational Research has just formed three Strategic Translational Research and Innovation Partnerships (STRIP) PFAS Focus Groups engaging leaders from academia, industry, government, and community stakeholders. The STRIP PFAS focus groups will develop strategic action plan to address PFAS-related challenges in three strategic areas facilitating translational pathways from ideation to market with user validation, adoption and scaling studies towards commercialization and potential deployment in communities. The specific scope of three STRIP PFAS focus groups includes the following:
- Early-Stage Translational Research and Validation (TRL 1–4): Focused on identifying key PFAS contaminants, validating detection methods and developing translational pathways for remediation, decontamination and management technologies with early field validation.
- Advanced Translational Research and Technology Development (TRL 5–7): Centered on piloting and preparing technologies for scaling and pre-commercialization readiness for deep-dive investments.
- Regulatory Policies and Deployment Framework: Focused on bridging detection and technology validation with regulatory and infrastructure planning for community deployment to enable scalable and sustainable impact.
With collaborative synergy and partnerships with leaders from academic, industry, government and communities, the proposed NJ PFAS-PIC will create pathways for scaling, commercialization, and deployment of innovative technologies and solutions to address PFAS contamination crises in New Jersy for better public health and economic benefits.