Innovation New Jersey
  • Home
  • Our Coalition
    • Contact Us
  • News
  • Resources
    • State Supports
    • Federal Supports
    • Higher Ed Supports
  • Join Us

Innovation News

Everything Innovation. Everything New Jersey.
Follow us and stay connected.

Casabona to Murphy: Revive State Commission on Science & Technology

1/13/2018

1 Comment

 
Trenton, NJ - For New Jersey Tech Weekly’s end-of-year series in 2017, we asked company officials and other members of the tech ecosystem in New Jersey to craft a letter to the incoming governor, Phil Murphy, telling him about important business or social issues they are encountering, and giving him ideas on how the state help could solve them. This letter is from Mario Casabona, an angel investor who also founded the state’s first tech accelerator, TechLaunch. We are calling on Murphy to make this state a better, more welcoming place for tech and biotech companies, both those that are starting up and those that are growing.
Dear Governor-Elect Murphy,
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and to identify a well-known concern, as well as a potential solution.
My name is Mario Casabona, and I have been a resident of New Jersey for over 50 years. My personal background includes being an immigrant from Italy; becoming an electronics engineer; starting an electronics company (Electro-Radiation Inc.) in Fairfield; serving in the defense industry; having a company acquired by Honeywell; becoming an active angel investor (Casabona Ventures); and recently creating a socially responsible organization, TechLaunch, to mentor tech startups and provide them with access to other angel investors.
I have dedicated most of my professional life to the support of science and technology in the state of New Jersey. I have been frequently recognized by various New Jersey-based organizations, including the New Jersey Tech Council, and have participated as a guest speaker/panelist at numerous events, including at universities.
One of my most prized accomplishments was being asked to join the State of New Jersey Commission on Science & Technology in 2004 by Gov. James McGreevey. I have since then proudly continued to serve as commissioner, but since Gov. Christie removed all funding, there has been no activity. The responsibility of serving the tech community has basically fallen to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), whose fundamental mission is to act as a financial and economic growth arm of the state of New Jersey.
New Jersey has proudly served our nation by providing products and services in the telecom (Bell Labs), biotech, pharmaceutical, information-technology and defense industries, to name a few. We are strategically located between Philadelphia and New York City, but unfortunately our talent and investments are being drained. The EDA is doing a fantastic job in attracting and keeping established businesses in New Jersey, but what about creating and sustaining future industries that will keep New Jersey on the innovation map?
Established in 1985 by Governor Kean, the Commission on Science & Technology was responsible for the development and oversight of policies and programs promoting science and technology research and entrepreneurship in the state.  Commission members included business leaders, prominent academics, scientists, the director of the Commerce Commission, the commissioner of education, a representative of the governor and four state legislators.
Its mission was to encourage economic development and job growth in New Jersey by advising the governor’s office on matters relating to science and technology; promoting strong ties between industry and the universities, in order to accelerate the commercialization of technology; supporting entrepreneurial technology businesses in areas of strategic importance to the state; strengthening research collaboration among universities to create a new potential for increased federal funding and private investment; and providing grants to well-vetted tech startups.
I would say that most of the successful tech companies, incubators, centers of excellence and funding programs that exist today in the state can be attributed to the work of the Commission.
My humble advice to you, Governor-Elect Murphy, is to either resurrect (according to your vision) the Commission on Science & Technology with redefined goals, OR create a new entity that reports directly to the governor’s office. In either case, it should provide guidance, feedback and direction regarding science and technology, and have the goal of encouraging/promoting the small business and tech startup community. I have seen and can attest to the talent, great universities, resources, established enterprises and the enthusiasm alive and well in New Jersey.
However, we need an experienced “voice” in the governor’s office to represent small businesses and tech startups, in addition to a strong and visionary governor who will provide the leadership and support that can make New Jersey great again.
In any case, we need to make an investment in New Jersey’s future.
Thank you for the opportunity to present my opinion.
Mario M. Casabona
Casabona Ventures, founder and managing director
TechLaunch, founder and managing director
1 Comment
Jerry Creighton, SR.
1/16/2018 02:55:02 pm

Mario is on-target! The programs, made available through the NJ State Commission on Science & Technology, was a value-added program that made NJ a destination for entrepreneurs and innovative thinkers in the world of new ventures. This program, or one with similar components, needs to again be a priority in NJ! Let's support job creation/retention and economic growth in our state.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Do not miss a single innovative moment and sign up for our newsletter!
    Weekly updates


    Categories

    All
    3D Printing
    Academia
    Acquisitions
    Aerospace
    Agriculture
    AIDS
    Algae
    Alumni
    Animals
    Architecture
    Astrophysics
    Autism
    Awards
    Big Data
    Bioethics
    Biofuel
    Biomedical
    BioNJ
    Bioterrorism
    Bit Coins
    Brain Health
    Business
    Camden
    Cancer
    CCollege
    Cellular
    Centenary
    Chemistry
    ChooseNJ
    Climate Change
    Clinical Trials
    Cloud Tech
    Collaboration
    Computing
    Congress
    Coriell
    Council On Innovation
    Crowdfunding
    Cybersecurity
    DARPA
    Defense
    Degree
    Dementia
    Dental Health
    DOC
    DOD
    DOE
    Drew
    Drones
    Drug Creation
    Einstein's Alley
    Electricity
    Energy
    Engineering
    Entrepreneurship
    Environmental
    FAA
    Fairleigh Dickinson
    FDA
    Federal Budget
    Federal Government
    Federal Labs
    Federal Program
    Finance
    Food Science
    Fort Monmouth
    Fuel Cells
    Funding
    Genome
    Geography
    Geology
    Global Competition
    Google
    Governor Christie
    Grant
    Hackensack
    HackensackUMC
    Healthcare
    Health Care
    HHS
    HINJ
    Hospitals
    Immigration
    Incubator
    Infrastructure
    International
    Internet
    Investor
    IoT
    IP
    IT
    Jobs
    Johnson & Johnson
    K-12
    Kean
    Kessler
    Legislation
    Logistics
    Manufacturing
    Medical Devices
    Med School
    Mental Health
    Mentor
    Microorganisms
    Molecular Biology
    Montclair
    NAS
    Neuroscience
    Newark
    New Jersey
    NIFA
    NIH
    NIST
    NJBDA
    NJBIA
    NJ Chemistry Council
    NJCU
    NJDOLWD
    NJEDA
    NJEDge
    NJHF
    NJII
    NJIT
    NJMEP
    NJPAC
    NJPRO
    NJTC
    Nonprofit
    NSF
    OpEd
    Open Data
    OSHE
    OSTP
    Parasite
    Patents
    Paterson
    Patients
    Perth Amboy
    Pharma
    POTUS
    PPPL
    Princeton
    Prosthetics
    Ranking
    Rare Disease
    R&D Council
    Report
    Resiliency
    Rider
    Robotics
    Rowan
    Rutgers
    SBA
    Seton Hall
    Siemens
    Smart Car
    Smart Cities
    Software
    Solar
    Space
    SSTI
    Startup
    State Government
    STEM
    Stevens
    Stockton
    Subatomic
    Supports
    Sustainability
    Taxes
    TCNJ
    Teachers
    Telecom
    Therapy
    Thermodynamics
    Transportation
    Undergraduate
    USEDA
    Verizon
    Video Game
    Virtual Reality
    Water
    WHO
    William Paterson
    Women In STEM
    Workforce Development

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.