Cornell University turned to the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology to help bolster its bid to construct an engineering and applied-science campus in New York City.

The partnership comes in the wake of an initiative by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg’s administration opened a contest for top-tier universities to provide the best plan that would help New York overtake Silicon Valley. He called on universities to build or expand an engineering and applied sciences campus in New York City.

Cornell President David Skorton said he turned to the Technion for its expertise.

“The Technion is the driving force behind the miracle of Israel’s technology economy. Its academic rigor in computer science and engineering and its leadership in technology transfer has helped create one of the largest concentrations of start-ups anywhere and attracted the world’s leading technology companies to Haifa to leverage Technion’s research and its outstanding graduates,” said Skorton.

The university selected to build the campus will receive free land and as much as $100 million in public funding. Stanford University was considered a top applicant in the contest before the Cornell-Technion announcement.

“We wanted to find an institution that had complementary strengths to Cornell’s strengths,” said Skorton. “Technion is among the world’s leaders of turning science into jobs.”

“We are very proud of the many strengths we bring to this endeavor, and we are excited to be a partner with another of the world’s great research universities,” said Technion President Peretz Lavie. “Cornell‘s globally recognized research and graduates are fueling new technologies and innovative start-ups at the center of New York City’s current tech boom. Cornell is uniquely positioned by its deep connection to the city’s emerging tech sector to serve as a catalyst for the creation of new technologies, jobs and industries in New York City.”