Strategically Innovating in NJ

The state’s designated Strategic Innovation Centers (SICs) aim to bolster New Jersey as a hotbed for startups and other innovative endeavors.

By George N. Saliba, Contributing Writer On Jun 3, 2025

While New Jersey has a renowned life sciences sector and is internationally recognized as the “Medicine Chest of the World” due to the biopharmaceutical companies dotting the landscape here, it has enormous opportunities for growth in this and other innovative realms including, but not limited to: science; aerospace; high technology and information technology; tech startups; and artificial intelligence.

The state’s Strategic Innovation Centers (SICs) aim to bolster the entire innovation equation while simultaneously strengthening the economy. With funding of $145 million stemming from both state budget allocations as well as the New Jersey Economic Development Recovery Act (ERA), SICs are designated facilities – either already operational or planned for construction – that support various iterations of entrepreneurship, innovation and research and development (R&D).

They are taking form as multi-tenant innovation centers, as well as incubators and accelerators, with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) stating they have a common purpose of creating “a physical location that builds a community of entrepreneurs and innovators collaborating on a shared goal.” The NJEDA is an equity partner in each of the 10 SICs that stretch from Camden to Newark, forming collaboration between government, the private sector, and academia.

Speaking broadly about the SICs, Kathleen Coviello, chief economic transformation officer at the NJEDA, comments, “It’s still fairly early days [with the SICs], particularly for the ones that are building real estate. Innovation does not happen overnight, so it’s going to require some patient capital, and patient investment. For the most part, these are 10-year equity contracts that we are entering, and our partners know that we have a long-minded view.”

HAX LLC

The HAX LLC studio at 707 Broad Street in Newark is designated by the NJEDA as the “flagship” SIC in New Jersey. It will support more than 100 early-stage companies and is expected to create at least 2,500 high-paying jobs. The $50 million venture between the NJEDA and Princeton-based venture capital firm SOSV is dedicated to hard-tech endeavors surrounding decarbonization, digital manufacturing, and automated supply chain. HAX’s 35,000-square-foot space has aspects including, but not limited to: electrical engineering labs, 3D printing, manual metal fabrication, Computer Numeric Control (CNC) and laser cutting. Each participating company will receive an initial investment of $250,000 and 180 days of hands-on collaboration, as well as access to a worldwide community of early-stage founders.

NJII Venture Studio

An SIC is likewise budding elsewhere in Newark. NJII Venture Studio “will focus on accelerating and commercializing intellectual property with a focus on high technology and information technology developed by the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), the New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) and NJIT’s corporate partners, as well as other academic institutions [that] contribute to the advancement of the industry,” according to the NJEDA. 

NJII President Michael Johnson, Ph.D., explains, “… it is generally known that if you have a place – an academic center – and you have funding at the same place, innovation tends to happen.” NJII Venture Studio is specifically focusing on building 10 companies over four to five years via 50/50 funding totalling $11.6 million from both NJII and the NJEDA.

The NJ Biomedical SIC

The NJ Biomedical Strategic Innovation Center (SIC) is slated for construction in Camden. A collaboration between the NJEDA and the Coriell Institute for Medical Research, it will be comprised of 45,000 square feet at the Lewis L. Coriell Medical Research Center. With an anticipated 150 permanent jobs in addition to 100 construction jobs, the innovation center will include state-of-the-art incubator and laboratory spaces for emerging biotech companies. 

“The first step towards a surge in science for the state – which the state badly needs – is infrastructure, and we are potentially providing the beginning of the infrastructure in our first building,” says Jean-Pierre Issa, M.D., professor, president and CEO of the Coriell Institute for Medical Research. 

The Aerospace Innovation Center (AIC) 

An $8.6 million NJEDA investment is also being made to support the Aerospace Innovation Center (AIC), an SIC located in the National Aerospace Research & Technology Park (NARTP) in Egg Harbor Township in Atlantic County. According to the NJEDA, the AIC will provide “state-of-the-art aerospace research centers, high-speed connectivity to the FAA William J. Hughes Center for Advanced Aerospace data systems and laboratories, and co-working and studio spaces that are ideal for collaboration and innovation.”

Howard J. Kyle, president of the NARTP, says construction of the 40,000-square-foot, two-story facility has commenced and is slated to be completed in the Spring of 2026, adding that an artificial intelligence machine learning lab may be part of the space. Kyle outlines three transformative eras in aviation: Open cockpit propeller flight, leading up to closed cockpits in World War II; commercial aviation via Boeing 707 jets; and today’s development of autonomous aircraft.

Other SICs

New Jersey’s SICs are extraordinarily diverse, reflecting innovation goals across an array of sectors and industries. An additional SIC includes the NJ AI Hub in West Windsor Township, which the NJEDA describes as a “a state-of-the-art, collaborative ecosystem that will integrate world-class research, innovation, education, and workforce development.” It provides a physical location for AI startups. (See page 22).

Bell Labs Venture Studio

Another SIC – Bell Labs Venture Studio in Murray Hill – is centered on facilitating the acceleration and commercialization of intellectual property from Bell Labs – as well as local universities – in areas such as communication, AI, cloud computing, and optical and wireless networks. The venture studio will eventually be moved to the NJ Nokia Bell Labs Innovation Center, which is slated to be an SIC at the Health + Life Science Exchange (HELIX) 2 building in New Brunswick. The latter is in planning stages and is expected to open by 2028. 

HELIX Health + Life Science Exchange

The HELIX Health + Life Science Exchange in New Brunswick – yet another SIC itself – is expected to create 2,000 permanent jobs and 1,200 construction jobs, with the NJEDA investing $10 million into the project. The site will feature the Rutgers Institute for Translational Medicine and Science as well as become the home of the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Princeton University and Hackensack Meridian Health will be HELIX’s initial tenants. 

NJ FAST

NJ FAST is a different SIC, located on the grounds of Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken. It represents a partnership between Stevens, the NJEDA, Prudential Financial, and Plug and Play. According to Stevens, NJ FAST “aims to deliver significant economic impact by supporting startups with innovative, world-class ideas and position New Jersey as a leader in the research, development, innovation, and entrepreneurship of the financial and insurance technology sectors.”

SciTech Scity

SciTech Scity in Jersey City is yet another SIC. One component is Edge Works, a planned eight-story incubation hub for SciTech Scity comprised of the Co-Creation Center, which Liberty Science Center describes as a 40,000-square-foot state-of-the-art conference center and “bleeding-edge tech exhibition gallery.” The Works is another SciTech Scity component and will feature “60,000 square feet of R&D labs, workspaces, and co-working areas for dozens of startups in addition to skunkworks suites, product showcases, consumer testing labs, and offices for well-established companies.”

Conclusion

Regarding SICs overall, the NJEDA’s Coviello says, “I think having a mindset of the long-term strategy is critical to [their] success here. The NJEDA started in this innovation center space when we opened the New Jersey Bioscience Center over 25 years ago.” The center itself has been designated an SIC, and its success thus far is hopefully a harbinger of future triumphs for all 10 SICs, and – more broadly – the Garden State at large. 

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