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.

Opinion: Assemblyman Gary Schaer on ‘A Blueprint for Tomorrow’

6/9/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Trenton, NJ — Assemblyman Gary S. Schaer (D-Passaic), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, last month shared the following with Innovation New Jersey readers:
 
Each time we tackle the state budget, we are reminded that it is a living, breathing document that, at its core, should fundamentally reflect our priorities.  As we enter final deliberations in crafting this year’s state budget, that reminder is all the more potent.
 
One of the reasons New Jersey’s economy lagged far behind most of the nation after the Great Recession is because we failed to make the proper investments to capitalize on our strengths and leverage our assets to grow our economy.  We cannot expect to move forward and grow as a state without planting the proper seeds. 
 
Building on our world-class life sciences industry, investing in STEM education and promoting collaborative research are all integral investments to improve society and expand our economy.

We must recognize our strengths and continue to cultivate them.  And in New Jersey, one of our greatest pillars is our formidable pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industry.  ​

Recognizing that industry-academic partnerships are a growing key to our success, I have sponsored several bills to foster greater collaboration between these two sectors. 
 
First, A1668, which was enacted into law in February, establishes the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education and Business Partnerships to create a forum in which our business and higher education communities can maintain an ongoing dialogue on how to encourage collaboration and grow our innovation economy. 
 
Second, I introduced legislation (A-4432) that would allow certain businesses that have collaborative research relationships with higher education institutions to receive tax credits under the Grow New Jersey Assistance Program. 
 
Lastly, it’s crucial that we partner with industry leaders and capitalize on our life sciences talent pool to further the growth of the biotechnology sector, which is why I also sponsored legislation (AJR-46) that became law last summer, which created a biotechnology taskforce.
 
In the early ‘90’s, New Jersey had almost 50 biotechnology companies located throughout the state.  That number has since increased to 379, including many of the largest biotech companies in the world, in part because of various task forces created by the Legislature that fostered initiatives to bolster the industry in our state. 
 
Today, our biotechnology industry plays a pivotal role in New Jersey’s economy, representing thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity and tax revenue each year. 
 
Due to the pivotal role this industry plays, it is important that we learn and develop ways to retain and attract new companies and increase communication between state government and the industry.  The nine-member task force created under AJR46 is charged with doing just that.  I am eager to see the fruits of this innovative collaboration.
 
One of the key reasons this industry has flourished in New Jersey is because of our highly respected life sciences workforce, which is one of our greatest assets.  And we need to ensure that we maintain a steady pipeline of talent to continue to support and grow the industry.
 
When it comes to planning for our future, the best investment we can make is in our people, which is why I’ve always championed education investments.
 
In recent months, I introduced a comprehensive higher education legislative package focused on better preparing our high school students for college, making college more affordable once they get there, and tying higher education to the state’s economic needs to ensure that we are producing the workforce our industries need while creating employment opportunities for our graduates. 
 
Ultimately, we need to make sure we are investing in the workforce of tomorrow and not just today.
 
Financial crises like the Great Recession often force us to narrow our vision until we mitigate the crisis.  With the recession firmly behind us, we can no longer afford tunnel vision when it comes to investing in our future.  We need a blueprint for tomorrow and we need it today.
 
Assemblyman Gary Schaer is Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee and represents the 36th Legislative District in Bergen and Passaic counties.
0 Comments



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

Home   Coalition   News   Resources   Events   Join Us
Picture
Innovation New Jersey Coalition
222 West State Street
Suite 302
Trenton, NJ 08608
732-729-9619