NJCU Led New Jersey Delegation to Budapest, Hungary

Community leaders, speakers, and panelists explored opportunities to build linkages during two-day conference on October 16, 17

More than 150 business leaders, educators, and entrepreneurs gathered in Budapest, Hungary to attend Connecting Bridges and Borders, a grass roots civic and academic movement hosted by New Jersey City University and led by Dr. David Weiss, Founder & Director of the Institute for Dispute Resolution (IDR) at New Jersey City University 

Representatives from New Jersey were joined by participants from Hungary, Japan, United Kingdom, and Croatia.  

“This program is the culmination of a two-year relationship investment to build sustainable partnerships which will increase entrepreneurship and innovation between our two regions of the world,” said Dr. Weiss.  

This event included elected officials, representatives from New Jersey’s higher education, banking, health care, legal sector, and technology stakeholders - all with one shared goal - to build collaboration with an international community and advance business for New Jersey.  

“Innovation and expanding opportunities to grow the digital highway between Central Eastern Europe and New Jersey is necessary to advance global economic advantages we can all benefit from in today’s highly competitive environment," Dr. Weiss added.

Jose Arrango, Director of Economic Development from the City of Jersey City, stated “The international conference we hosted with New Jersey City University is helping to make the business community more global thanks to the vision of Mayor Steven Fulop.  This Budapest program spearheaded by New Jersey City University shows that narrative in action.”

During the two-day conference, thought leadership and practice focused topics included: building an international business platform for small start-ups, privacy data, and settling disputes using mediation.  Panel discussions will be hosted at Elte Faculty of Law and IBM, Budapest. The conference will also focus on STEM- with New Jersey and Hungarian start-up technology companies sharing their recent launches, discussions around building viable eco-systems to support global and local technology initiatives and support innovation in the field of STEM.  The closing program will include a round table discussion between the American Hungarian Chamber of Commerce, Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ) and Budapest Chamber of Commerce, and the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce. 

“We are so proud of the international leadership New Jersey City University has taken to help our students, our local community, and our state to become a competitive stakeholder in the global marketplace,” said Dr. Sue Henderson, President, New Jersey City University.

Participants from New Jersey included: 

• Sharon Ambis, Senior Director, Marketing and Communications, Jersey City Medical Center-RWJBarnabas Health; Hudson County Chamber of Commerce 
• Hon. & Former  Lt. Gov Kim Guadagno, Esq., Partner, Connell Foley Law firm
• Dr. Sue Henderson, President, New Jersey City University
• Paul Hoffman, CEO, Liberty Science Center
• Senator Tom Kean Jr., New Jersey State Legislature
• Dr. Suresh Kumar, Professor, New Jersey Institute of Technology
• Dr. Lazlo Molnár, former US Ambassador of Hungary, Faculty member of NJCU
• Anthony Russo, CEO, Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey
• Richard Steen, Esq., former President, New Jersey State Bar Association

For a full list of attendees please visit https://hungarynewjersey.congressline.hu/.