Whoa, CMU’s National Robotics Engineering Center has helped launch a ton of Pittsburgh tech companies

Now in its 25th year of operation, the Lawrenceville-based NREC — which is associated with Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute — this week shared a report authored by Fourth Economy Consulting detailing the economic impact the center has had in Pittsburgh and beyond since its inception.

The data presented by the report demonstrates just how influential the center has been in building the success of robotics in the Pittsburgh region, making this area a global capital for innovation in the industry. Over half of former NREC staff and researchers have remained in the Pittsburgh region following their time at the center, and three in five companies in Pittsburgh’s robotics, artificial intelligence and tech sectors have direct staff ties to NREC, the report found.