Mayor touts NYU's new tech initiative program

In his weekly radio speech Sunday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg touted the city's newest initiative to attract tech talent -- NYU's Center for Urban Science and Progress.

CUSP, which opened its doors last Thursday in Brooklyn, will work in the field of "urban infomatics," analyzing data about cities. The center is partnering with companies such as IBM and Microsoft, the mayor said.

"Those partnerships -- along with CUSP's new cooperative agreements with the federal Energy Department's major research labs -- are going to make the school one of the world's most exciting research centers," Bloomberg said during his radio address.

In addition to the school, the city has several programs that promote up-and-coming tech companies, including an interactive site that connects prospective employees with jobs.

The mayor touted the jobs that will be created by CUSP, Cornell NYC Tech's future Roosevelt Island campus and an applied science school at Columbia University. He cited "a 30% surge in tech sector jobs" since 2005.