Program Designed to Increase Competitiveness of New Jersey SBIR/STTR Proposals

TRENTON, N.J. (October 11, 2019) – The New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology (CSIT) has announced approval of the creation of a new program to provide technical and financial support to Garden State companies pursuing federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) funding. The newly-conceived program will be initially capitalized with $500,000 to support companies applying for the federal SBIR and STTR programs, which provide more than $3 billion nationally in early-stage funding to small businesses each year in a variety of technology and life sciences areas.

“New Jersey’s legacy of innovation, vast scientific talent pool, and network of renowned research universities are among its many competitive assets,” said New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) CEO Tim Sullivan, who also serves as a CSIT member. “The new SBIR/STTR program’s focus on maximizing the benefits of federal resources by supporting collaboration between startup companies and academic institutions represents a significant step toward Governor Murphy’s vision for the State’s innovation economy.”

The highly-competitive, three-phase federal SBIR and STTR grant programs provide qualified small businesses opportunities to propose innovative ideas that meet specific research and development (R&D) needs of the federal government. The SBIR enables small businesses to explore their technological potential and provides the incentive to profit from its commercialization. The STTR program funds cooperative R&D partnerships between a small business and a research institution such as a university, federal R&D center, or a non-profit research institution. Eligibility requirements for both SBIR and STTR include that a company must be a U.S.-based, for-profit small business with fewer than 500 employees.

“While the benefits of winning SBIR/STTR grants are clear, small businesses often face challenges in drafting and submitting competitive proposals or leveraging additional financial resources to maintain operations during the application process,” CSIT Chairman Gunjan Doshi said. “The SBIR/STTR support program will help New Jersey applicants overcome these challenges and maximize potential awards.”

The New Jersey SBIR/STTR Support Program has two core components, technical assistance and direct grant funding, that will serve as a complement to existing State programs that provide support to increase competitiveness of New Jersey SBIR/STTR proposals. This includes a SBIR/STTR training seminar sponsored by the Small Business Development Center (NJSBDC) Technology Commercialization Program. The program offers technical assistance in proposal preparation, specialized reviews, and critiques of draft proposals with specific suggestions on how to be competitive in winning grant awards.

Through the first component, the CSIT will select and provide up to $125,000 of matching grant funding to one New Jersey technical assistance provider per year that is applying to the Federal and State Technology (FAST) Grant Program. The FAST Program provides federal financial assistance to local organizations for outreach, technical assistance, and financial assistance initiatives that increase the number of SBIR/STTR applications. The FAST Program requires a State-level match to receive any federal funding. The program will also create a State SBIR/STTR one-stop website and establish a SBIR/STTR Alumni Advisory Group, both aimed at providing additional support to NJ businesses that are applying to the federal SBIR/STTR Programs.

“The technical support component of the New Jersey SBIR/STTR Program will help entrepreneurs applying for SBIR/STTR resources present a more compelling and polished case for their companies and ultimately secure funding that will better position them for growth,” said Debbie Hart, President and CEO of BioNJ, and a CSIT member.

The second component will offer $375,000 in matching grants to New Jersey small businesses in two stages of the federal SBIR/STTR programs. The first would be to provide $25,000 matching grants for general business operating costs to seven businesses that have received a federal Phase I SBIR/STTR award. The second will provide $50,000 bridge funding grants to four NJ small businesses that have successfully completed Phase I and have applied for Phase II of the federal SBIR/STTR program. These funds can be utilized to maintain project activities and cover general operating costs.

In August 2018, Governor Murphy signed legislation re-establishing the former New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology as the New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology. The Commission is tasked with leading the way in promoting the state as a home for academic and technological research, development, and commercialization. The Commission is comprised of 17 members including the State's Chief Innovation Officer, the Secretary of Higher Education; the Commissioner of Education; and the CEO of the NJEDA.

“This creative approach to supporting young, innovative New Jersey companies is the result of effective collaboration between the scientific, academic, private sector, and legislative communities,” said Senator Paul Sarlo, the sponsor of the legislation that re-established and renamed the New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation, and Technology, and now a Commission member. “New Jersey has a formidable track record in innovation and the Commission is here to ensure that we make the most of every opportunity to cement our leadership position.”

In addition to Senator Sarlo, Senator Robert Singer, Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips, and Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker, a physicist who chairs the Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, are all members of the bi-partisan Commission.

“As a scientist and active member of New Jersey’s energy innovation community, I understand how vital early-stage capital is for companies working toward commercialization,” Zwicker said. “And as a legislator, I hear from companies within my district about the need for both technical and financial support as they vie for federal funds. Through the New Jersey SBIR/STTR Support Program, we are providing another tool for state’s researchers, scientists and entrepreneurs to use as they compete on the national, and ultimately global, stage.”

Applications for the program will become available early this winter.

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NJEDA's Step-Out Labs is home to China-based Adlai Nortye's U.S. headquarters and global clinical development center.
 

North Brunswick, N.J. (July 12, 2019) – When China-based Adlai Nortye chose to expand into the United States last year, it selected the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s (NJEDA’s) New Jersey Bioscience Center (NJBC) – Step-Out Labs at North Brunswick for its national headquarters and global clinical development center. The company was one of the first tenants to move to the facility shortly after it opened in June 2018.

The Step-Out Labs at North Brunswick provides a life sciences workplace environment for post-incubation and rapidly-growing biopharmaceutical companies, including businesses graduating out of the NJBC – Incubator at North Brunswick. The facility is within the 50-acre NJBC research park, which includes almost 300,000 square feet of lab and office space, with over $70 million invested in facilities and improvements. NJBC is located in the heart of the State's "Bioscience Cluster" between Rutgers and Princeton Universities and includes several "build-to-suit” sites. The research park was recently rebranded to more accurately reflect the campus’s life sciences focus and the spectrum of companies located there.

Adlai Nortye is dedicated to discovering, developing, and commercializing novel oncology drugs for the global markets. The company is about to initiate a global Phase 3 clinical trial of its lead product, AN2025 (Buparlisib), an oral PI3K inhibitor designed for use in patients with cancer of the head and neck. The drug has received fast-track designation from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Since opening its doors last August, Adlai Nortye has grown its New Jersey presence from one employee to 18 workers.

Lars Birgerson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Adlai Nortye USA, said that the biopharmaceutical company’s decision to run its US operations out of New Jersey was based on a combination of factors: access to more than a dozen of the world’s 20 largest pharmaceutical companies, the Garden State’s talented workforce, and the State’s focus on fostering its biotechnology industry.   

“We’ve been fortunate to experience exponential growth and attribute it, in large part, to New Jersey’s pharmaceutical infrastructure and its culture of innovation, which stems from Governor Murphy’s commitment to supporting early-stage companies like ours,” said Birgerson. “Additionally, the state-of-the-art equipment at the Step-Out Labs, combined with the proximity to top universities such as Rutgers and Princeton, puts us at a great advantage as we seek to advance our products.”

New Jersey is home to 13 of the 20 largest pharmaceutical companies and over 3,200 life sciences establishments. It also boasts the highest concentration of scientists in the country and engineers per square mile – 225,000. New Jersey’s academic institutions turn out more than 27,000 life sciences graduates annually and the life sciences sector accounts for more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs in the Garden State.

“New Jersey has a long history as home to pharma, with so much to offer international pharmaceutical companies expanding into the United States,” said NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan said. “Businesses like Adlai Nortye are benefitting from the many advantages New Jersey has to offer including our state’s prime location, first-rate amenities, and impressive talent pool – all of which provide a solid foundation for the continued growth of this critical sector, which is key to Governor Phil Murphy’s vision to reclaim New Jersey’s role as a leader in innovation.”

About the New Jersey Economic Development Authority
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) serves as the State’s principal agency for driving economic growth. The NJEDA is committed to making New Jersey a national model for inclusive and sustainable economic development by focusing on key strategies to help build strong and dynamic communities, create good jobs for New Jersey residents, and provide pathways to a stronger and fairer economy. Through partnerships with a diverse range of stakeholders, the NJEDA creates and implements initiatives to enhance the economic vitality and quality of life in the State and strengthen New Jersey’s long-term economic competitiveness.

To learn more about NJEDA resources for life sciences companies, call NJEDA Customer Care at 609-858-6767 or visit https://www.njeda.gov/tls and follow @NewJerseyEDA on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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New Jersey Bioscience Center replaces The Technology Centre of New Jersey as the name of the NJEDA's 50-acre research park in North Brunswick.

North Brunswick, N.J. (June 6, 2019) – The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) today announced that it has rebranded its 50-acre research park in central New Jersey from The Technology Centre of New Jersey to the New Jersey Bioscience Center (NJBC) – North Brunswick. The new name more accurately reflects the park’s life sciences focus and the spectrum of companies located there.

Strategically situated in the heart of the state’s research corridor between Rutgers and Princeton universities, the NJBC campus offers a multitude of lab and office space options for companies at all stages of growth. Incubator, post-incubator, and independent research & development (R&D) space support the needs of entrepreneurial startups and rapidly-growing life sciences R&D companies, while build-to-suit lab and office sites accommodate larger, more-established biopharmaceutical businesses seeking to benefit from the research park’s prime location.

“From New Jersey’s highly-talented workforce to our ideal location and proximity to more than a dozen pharmaceutical giants, life sciences companies of all sizes are finding immense value in locating at our facilities,” NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan said. “Rebranding the North Brunswick campus park under the New Jersey Bioscience Center umbrella will help us promote the research park’s available lab and office space to a national and international audience.”

The research park’s incubator and accelerator spaces have also been renamed to better align with the new brand. The incubator, formerly known as the Commercialization Center of Innovative Technologies and the accelerator formerly known as the Biotechnology Development Center are now respectively NJBC – Incubator at North Brunswick and NJBC – Step Out Labs at North Brunswick.

The 46,000-square-foot NJBC – Incubator offers 27 wet labs, the most of any incubator in the Garden State. Currently home to 20 businesses, the facility includes both small and large labs, as well as offices. Considered New Jersey’s leading life sciences incubator, the NJBC – Incubator also provides tenant companies with educational programs and a host of supporting resources, including help to identify funding sources and access to small business development resources, networking opportunities, and administrative support. Additionally, it offers discounted first-year rent for university drug-discovery spinouts. Startups moving to the NJBC – Incubator can apply for rent support through the NJEDA’s NJ Ignite program.

The NJBC – Step Out Labs at North Brunswick opened in June 2018 and offers intermediate lab and office space for companies that have outgrown incubator space and other early-stage companies looking to expand. The NJBC – Step Out Labs space targets all subsectors of the biotechnology industry, with the goal of serving graduates of the NJBC – Incubator and other well-funded startups that are ready for intermediate space. The NJBC – Step Out Labs currently has six tenants, including China-based Adlai Nortye, which chose its New Jersey location as its United States headquarters.

Companies interested in touring the NJBC, the NJBC – Incubator, or the NJBC – Step Out Labs should visit https://www.njeda.gov/njbc or contact Lenzie Harcum at lharcum@njeda.com.

To learn more about NJEDA resources for life sciences companies, call NJEDA Customer Care at 609-858-6767 or visit https://www.njeda.gov/tls  and follow @NewJerseyEDA on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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