A meeting of the Commission of Science, Innovation and Technology (CSIT) Board has been scheduled for Friday, September 24, 2021 at 10:00 am
A copy of the proposed agenda can be found at https://www.njeda.gov/csit.
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Conference ID: 418 422 739#
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Please be advised that a telephonic meeting of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority is scheduled for 10:00 AM, Wednesday, September 22, 2021.
The Members will convene to via conference call only. Members of the public may participate in the meeting by calling in on the conference line. Members of the public will have an opportunity to speak during the public comment segment of the meeting.
The following conference number is being provided:
CONFERENCE NAME: NJEDA BOARD MEETING (September 22, 2021)
PARTICIPANT DIAL-IN NUMBER: 877-692-8955
PARTICIPANT ACCESS CODE: 4204420
Members of the public are encouraged to call in prior to the time the meeting is scheduled to begin to avoid any delays.
The agenda can be found 48 hours prior to the meeting on our website: https://www.njeda.gov. The meeting will also be recorded and posted to the NJEDA website shortly after the conclusion of the meeting.
NOTICE OF SPECIAL TELEPHONIC MEETING
A Special Telephonic Meeting of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority is scheduled for 11:00 am, Wednesday, September 8, 2021. The Members will convene via conference call only, to discuss and vote upon emergency small business support measures, which may include, but is not limited to, the creation of a new financial assistance grant program for small businesses impacted by Tropical Storm Ida and associated delegated authority to staff for program administration.
Members of the public may participate in the meeting by calling in on the conference line. Members of the public will have an opportunity to speak during the public comment segment of the meeting. The following conference number is being provided:
MEETING NAME: NJEDA BOARD MEETING (SEPTEMBER 8, 2021)
PARTICIPANT DIAL-IN NUMBER: 1-877-692-8955
PARTICIPANT ACCESS CODE 1313977
Members of the public are encouraged to call in prior to the time the meeting is scheduled to begin to avoid any delays.
The agenda can be found 48 hours prior to the meeting at our website: www.njeda.gov.
TRENTON, N.J. (August 5, 2021) – The New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology (CSIT) today announced that it has awarded a total of $748,000 in seed grant funding to 10 New Jersey clean technology-focused startups through its Clean Tech Seed Grant Program. The program, which is funded by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU), is designed to help accelerate development and innovation of clean technologies by furthering research and development (R&D) within New Jersey’s startup economy. The Clean Tech Seed Grant Program was created in partnership with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA).
The awardees are each working on projects that involve developing or testing clean technologies intended to recapture or avoid emissions of greenhouse gases and/or criteria pollutants, or to enable such avoidance or recapture. Funding through the program will help the startups continue their work toward the proof of concept and prototyping stages, at which point they can more readily attract outside investors and, in some cases, begin to generate revenue. The funding is being provided through NJBPU’s Clean Energy Program.
“New Jersey’s innovation ecosystem stands at the forefront of the global transformation toward a clean energy future,” said CSIT Executive Director Gunjan Doshi. “Critical funding provided through the Clean Tech Seed Grant Program will help propel the projects created by these 10 startups toward commercialization and into the hands of consumers within the worldwide clean technology marketplace.”
The following startups were each awarded approximately $75,000. The exact grant sizes are noted in parentheses.
Seventy percent of the awardees were businesses located in an Opportunity Zone-eligible census tract, minority- or woman-owned businesses, and/or businesses with technology coming out of New Jersey universities.
“Under Governor Murphy’s leadership, New Jersey is recapturing its role as a leader in innovation in a diverse, inclusive, and equitable manner,” said NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan. “As we begin to see success stories that result from the funding announced today, we look forward to watching the impact these companies will have both on the international stage and here at home as they expand their footprint and create high-paying jobs.”
CSIT Executive Director Judith Sheft noted that the Commission received nearly two dozen applications for this inaugural round of funding and expects to launch a second round later this year with funding that has already been approved by the NJBPU.
“The high-level of interest we received during the inaugural round of our Clean Tech Seed Grant Program is indicative of both the vibrancy of our innovation ecosystem and the need for seed funding that all startups face,” Sheft said. “The NJBPU and the NJEDA have been tremendous partners to CSIT in helping to cultivate opportunities for very early-stage New Jersey companies in the clean energy space and we are pleased we will be able to reach even more young companies in the months ahead.”
In January 2020, Governor Murphy unveiled the state’s Energy Master Plan, which outlines key strategies to reach the Administration’s goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050. In May 2018, Governor Murphy’s Executive Order No. 28 directed the NJBPU, in partnership with other state agencies, to develop this statewide clean energy plan and shift away from energy production that contributes to climate change. The Energy Master Plan laid out ways to fuel the clean technology economy through workforce training, investments in developing clean energy knowledge, and the growth of world-class R&D.
“Building and strengthening New Jersey’s clean energy economy has been a priority for Governor Murphy throughout his administration as we work to reduce the state’s dependence on fossil fuels,” said NJBPU President Joseph L. Fiordaliso. “NJBPU is proud to support the Clean Tech Seed Grant Program and to fund early-stage companies that are developing vital technologies to achieve this goal. Startups within our innovation economy play a key part in creating clean technologies that will enable us to reach the Governor’s goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2050.”
New Jersey State Senator Robert Singer and Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker are among the CSIT members who helped bring the Clean Tech Seed Grant Program to fruition.
“Through innovative programs like this one, we are reaffirming and upholding our commitment to ensuring that New Jersey entrepreneurs have every available resource to fuel the growth of their companies,” Senator Singer said. “By connecting these 10 startups with access to precious seed capital, we are helping them work toward commercialization and reach a point where they can attract outside investors and begin to compete in the global economy.”
“As both a scientist and the Chairman of the Assembly’s Science, Innovation & Technology committee, I know the value that seed funding brings to young, innovative startups” Zwicker said. “I applaud each of our awardees for the ground-breaking work they are doing and am pleased to play a role in furthering their success.”
About CSIT
In August 2018, Governor Murphy signed legislation re-establishing the former New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology as the CSIT. Comprised of representatives from the public and private sectors, as well as academia, the Commission is tasked with leading the way in promoting the state as a home for academic and technological research, development, and commercialization.
Please be advised that a telephonic meeting of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority is scheduled for 10:00 AM, Wednesday, July 14, 2021.
The Members will convene to via conference call only. Members of the public may participate in the meeting by calling in on the conference line. Members of the public will have an opportunity to speak during the public comment segment of the meeting.
The following conference number is being provided:
CONFERENCE NAME: NJEDA BOARD MEETING (July 14, 2021)
PARTICIPANT DIAL-IN NUMBER: 877-692-8955
PARTICIPANT ACCESS CODE: 4204420
Members of the public are encouraged to call in prior to the time the meeting is scheduled to begin to avoid any delays.
The agenda can be found 48 hours prior to the meeting on our website: https://www.njeda.gov. The meeting will also be recorded and posted to the NJEDA website shortly after the conclusion of the meeting.
Please be advised that a telephonic meeting of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority is scheduled for 10:00 AM, Wednesday, June 9, 2021.
The Members will convene to via conference call only. Members of the public may participate in the meeting by calling in on the conference line. Members of the public will have an opportunity to speak during the public comment segment of the meeting.
The following conference number is being provided:
CONFERENCE NAME: NJEDA BOARD MEETING (June 9, 2021)
PARTICIPANT DIAL-IN NUMBER: 877-692-8955
PARTICIPANT ACCESS CODE: 4204420
Members of the public are encouraged to call in prior to the time the meeting is scheduled to begin to avoid any delays.
The agenda can be found 48 hours prior to the meeting on our website: https://www.njeda.gov. The meeting will also be recorded and posted to the NJEDA website shortly after the conclusion of the meeting.
The next Capital City Redevelopment Corporation Board meeting is scheduled for 11:00 am on Friday, May 21, 2021, via teleconference only.
Members of the public whom wish to speak during the public comment segment of the meeting, pertaining to agenda items, may call into the meeting by using the following conference number:
Teleconference #:
Conference ID: 510 746 889 #
The agenda can be found 48 hours prior to the meeting at our website: www.njeda.gov/ccrc
Notice of Funding Availability: Applications now available.
BACKGROUND ON SMALL AND MICRO BUSINESS PPE NEEDS
The NJ Small and Micro Business PPE Access Program was developed in response to consistent concerns emerging from the Governor’s Restart and Recovery Commission, the nine sector-based committees of the Governor’s Restart and Recovery Advisory Council and input from numerous small and micro businesses. Both the Commission and the Advisory Council highlighted the need for readily available, priced PPE to accelerate economic recovery. As small and micro businesses and organizations in historically underserved communities are particularly vulnerable to being crowded out of essential goods when tight market conditions occur, a key consideration of the program has been the need to ensure equitable distribution and pricing of PPE.
More than one third of all New Jersey workers are employed by organizations of 100 employees or fewer. Many of these companies do not have the reach or the resources to obtain goods outside of their normal retail buying channels, particularly in times of significant supply/demand imbalances. PPE falls squarely into the category of a good that was not essential to many of these organizations before the COVID-19 outbreak but is critical today.
PROGRAM PURPOSE
The NJ Small and Micro Business PPE Access Program is designed to make fairly priced PPE more easily available to all the small and micro businesses and non-profit organizations in the state, to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 and reduce their burden of sourcing for the PPEs from the competitive markets. In addition to the above the program will:
The Phase 1 Program – Selecting Designated Vendors and Sourcing PPE from NJ Companies
On August 11, 2020, NJEDA approved Phase 1 of the PPE Access Program. The focus of Phase 1 has been to identify and designate qualified vendors to launch online platforms where NJ companies can buy PPE at fair prices from reliable vendors offering a curated array of quality products all at a discount to normal market prices. Within the Program, these vendors are called “Designated Vendors” (DVs). Small and micro businesses will access Designated Vendors’ online platforms via a PPE Access Program website hosted on the State’s COVID19.nj.gov site (https://covid19.nj.gov/ppeaccess). Small businesses will also be able to learn about workplace PPE best practices and use a simple tool to determine their PPE needs.
In addition, Phase 1 includes an economic development component to encourage the Designated Vendors to make wholesale purchases of PPE from NJ manufacturers and from small distributors located in traditionally underserved NJ communities. To support this aim, the NJEDA approved the creation of a $3.5 million grant pool to be used as subsidies to bridge potential pricing gaps between NJ manufacturers and distributors and the global market.
The Phase 2 Program – Providing Purchase Subsidies to Benefit Small and Micro Businesses
Based on the response received from DVs of varying types and sizes, the program was expanded by launching a second Phase, aimed at providing purchase subsidies through DVs to benefit the State’s small businesses with a focus on those located in historically underserved communities.
As part of Phase 2, on October 14, 2020, NJEDA approved a grant pool of $20.4 million for purchase price discounts of 25% through Designated Vendors to small and micro businesses. The subsidized discount had an initial cap of $400 per organization generally and $500 for organizations located in historically underserved communities (i.e., located in one of New Jersey’s 715 Opportunity Zone Eligible census tracts). Companies eligible to benefit from these subsidies are determined by company size (based on full-time equivalent (“FTE”) employment) and location, as described more fully below.
Under paragraph 6(a) of the Request of the Members in the October 14, 2020 Board memo, the CEO was given the delegated authority to make changes to “extend internal program deadlines,” and under paragraph 6(b), he has the delegated the authority to “adjust per round small business coupon/discount values,” based upon program demand.
Based on initial experience of the Program’s second phase, Staff requested changes that substantially increased the level of program participation and ensured wider availability of essential PPE for New Jersey small businesses. The requested changes took effect on Tuesday, November 24, 2020. These changes:
The initial Phase 2 of the program ended on December 31, 2020. Under his delegated authority to extend internal program deadlines, the CEO has granted an additional extension of the PPE Access program Phase 2 until no later than June 30, 2021.
PROGRAM STRUCTURE AND ELIGIBILITY
Benefits through the Program
Phase 2 of the extended PPE Access Program has been structured to provide $2.5 million of grant funding
to cover 65% of eligible small businesses’ or non-profits’ PPE purchases through the Designated Vendors PPE Access Program sites. The 65% discount is capped per organization, per round of the Program, at $800 generally, and $1,000 for organizations in opportunity zone eligible census tracts. This subsidized discount is in addition to the minimum 10% discount offered by each of the Designated Vendors under Phase 1 of the Program.
Discounts are made available by the Designated Vendors to businesses and non-profits (“Subsidy-Eligible Recipients” or “SERs”) having 100 or fewer FTE employees, based on EDA confirmation of eligibility. The program eligibility threshold is at 100 FTEs for the following reasons:
A business’s FTE is determined based on its most recent NJ Department of Labor (“DOL”) form “NJ Employer Report of Wages Paid” (WR-30) where available, or, in limited circumstances where NJ DOL data is not available, through company self-certification.
Where possible, Designated Vendors will split the total value of the coupon/discount into multiple coupons/discounts of lower value to enhance flexibility of the program (i.e., allow SERs to split their PPE purchase up over multiple purchases). The ability to offer that flexibility will be determined by the Designated Vendors’ technical capabilities and may differ by Designated Vendor.
While businesses will have the ability to purchase goods other than PPE from the Designated Vendors, all subsidies under this program will only apply to PPE offered through the Program.
General Program process
To simplify the administration of the grant funding for small businesses and non-profits, funds flow from NJEDA to the Designated Vendors, who provide the benefits to SERs in the form of a coupon/discount to reduce their payment obligations.
The flow of application, approval and receipt of subsidies occurs as follows:
NJEDA’s determination that a business is eligible for a coupon/discount amount will be subject to continued funding availability.
Coupon/discount reimbursement to Designated Vendors will be made within 30 days after receipt of accounting documentation. To comply with the expenditure requirements of the CARES Act and the MOU with NJ Treasury, the Designated Vendor must document the PPE purchased by each SER and must request NJEDA disbursement from NJEDA no later than June 29, 2021 (or applicable deadline based upon any updated State and Federal CARES Act disbursement requirements).
Eligibility confirmation process
Organizations seeking to qualify as SERs and to benefit from the Phase 2 subsidies will be required to confirm their eligibility on the PPE Access Program website. While the subsidy is offered through the Designated Vendors, NJEDA will be responsible for eligibility checks to ensure privacy, timeliness and simplicity.
Eligibility will be determined once per round per EIN (meaning that businesses that utilize one EIN for multiple locations will only be able to access the coupons/discounts once per round).
Eligibility screening will include:
A tax clearance certificate from the New Jersey Department of Treasury’s Division of Taxation will not be required for a small business to benefit from this program. However, tax clearance certificates continue to be required for the Designated Vendors in the Program.
During the eligibility check process, the SER will be required to confirm their correct email address. SERs will be solely responsible for entering a correct email address; NJEDA will not verify or confirm the email address.
Appeals
Organizations will be able to appeal the Authority’s determination of Phase 2 eligibility within 5 days of notice of the determination. Appeals will be reviewed by a NJEDA member who has not up until that point been directly involved in the eligibility determination.
As the Authority is not involved in the actual issuance of the coupon/discount, in the use of the coupon/discount, in the sale of the PPE, the operation or functionality of the DV website, or such other actions or decisions under the DV’s sole control, any attempt to appeal from such actions will be rejected, as they are not a protest of an EDA action or decision.
Similarly, any attempt to appeal because the SER entered and confirmed an incorrect email address will not be a valid basis for an appeal. Funds will be set aside for the maximum amount of subsidy support for any appeals that are lodged with the Authority.
Post-eligibility audits
NJEDA will conduct audits to confirm that small business self-certifications provided during the eligibility assessment process were accurate. In such cases where the audit reveals that a self-certification was not accurate, NJEDA may request that the funds be returned and/or may refer these organizations to the relevant State agency for further investigation.
Funding Disbursement
Disbursements (reimbursements of subsidized discounts) to Designated Vendors from the $2.5 million grant pool will be made up to 30 days after receipt of acceptable Phase 2 documentation. Designated Vendors must submit request for NJEDA disbursement no later than June 29, 2021 to enable enough time for disbursement.
Additional Information
Additional information on the New Jersey Small and Micro Business PPE Access Program and this grant may be found at: https://covid19.nj.gov/ppeaccess.