How New Jersey became hotbed for life sciences companies from India

Dr. Himanshu Gadgil, the CEO of Enzene Biosciences, said the company looked at all of usual hot spots on both coasts when trying to determine where it would build its first manufacturing facility outside of India.

In the end, he said, it wasn’t much of a search.

“New Jersey was an automatic choice,” he said.

Gadgil was speaking at the ribbon-cutting on Sept. 3 for the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Hopewell at the Princeton West Innovation Campus.

Enzene invested $50M in the facility, which it expects will create up to 300 jobs. And Gadgil said it was a direct response to the outreach the state — specifically Gov. Phil Murphy — has been making.

“It’s really through your leadership of setting this state up for innovation, for life sciences, that made it possible,” he said. “We were welcomed. And not just welcome, but we felt that this was the home where we should be.”

Gadgil and Enzene clearly aren’t the only life science companies from India that feel that way.

On Sept. 4, Aurobindo Pharma USA officially opened its 170,000-square-foot warehouse in East Windsor. And on Wednesday, Biocon Generics cut the ribbon on a new manufacturing facility in Cranbury.

Murphy was thrilled to have all three. And he was quick to point out that he didn’t feel it was just happenstance.

“We are one of India’s most promising biotechnological companies placing its first bet in America right here in the great state of New Jersey,” he told the crowd at the Enzene event. “I would argue that that does not happen by accident. It’s a combination of a whole series of factors: talent, location, the nation’s premier innovation economy, especially in the biopharma, life sciences space.

“But it also has something to do with our deep ties to India. Ties of which we are extraordinarily proud, and each day we try to deepen.”

Those ties are not just cultural. Yes, New Jersey has the largest diaspora of South Asians per capita of any American state. In fact, the only state with a higher population is California, which is three times the size of New Jersey.

But it’s more than just numbers.

Murphy has made attracting international business a major priority of his administration — and has made India a top priority among potential partners.

In 2019, he was the first sitting New Jersey governor to visit India, making an economic mission with Choose New Jersey. Last year, Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way went on a similar economic mission. In between, Choose New Jersey made three other trips.

Choose New Jersey also has opened two offices in India (in Delhi and Bangalore) and the governor created the U.S.-India Commission, which is chaired by Choose New Jersey CEO Wes Mathews.

All of this comes at a time when tensions between the two countries — particularly over tariffs — has never been higher.

Murphy could have stepped back from the relationship because of the tension. Instead, he’s pushing forward. He will make another mission trip with Choose later this month.

“We are deliberately going back, very much making a statement that, notwithstanding the noise up here, the sub-national relationship between New Jersey and India is now as important as it has ever been,” he said. “You always look for tangible touchstones that tell that story, and there is no better data point or tangible evidence to that end than Enzene’s investment right here in Hopewell and in New Jersey.”

Debbie Hart, the head of BioNJ, couldn’t agree more.

“New Jersey’s appeal as a premier location for business and innovation is gaining increasing recognition on the global stage,” she said. “As a result, companies from around the world are choosing to invest and expand here, drawn by the state’s unique combination of strategic advantages.

“The recent investments by these three prominent Indian life sciences companies are powerful examples of this growing international momentum and affirms that New Jersey’s global outreach — led by Gov. Phil Murphy and Choose New Jersey — is delivering meaningful returns.”

Mathews is thrilled the international outreach has produced so many results in the life science sector, but he also pointed out the success goes deeper. There have been many connections and partnerships in higher education and health care, to name a few sectors.

“These investments highlight New Jersey’s strength as a premier destination for innovation, growth, and manufacturing, powered by our world-class talent, strategic location, and deep cultural and economic ties to India,” he said. “But more importantly, we are building partnerships for our higher eds and corporate partners — and through our international office network and the individual relationships/partnerships forged by New Jersey organizations — that they can continue to grow.”

Gadgil said he’s eager to have Enzene do just that.

“We are proud to bring our global expertise to the U.S. and contribute to the advancement of biopharmaceutical manufacturing,” he said. “Our first-to-market manufacturing technology is forging a new path in biologics manufacturing that will provide a cost-efficient, high yield, U.S.-based biomanufacturing solution for biopharmaceutical innovators, and complement our facilities in India to provide global supply solutions.”

Read the news article here.