Mission accomplished: Choose estimates trip to India will result in 400 jobs

Six days, four cities, 400 jobs.

Choose New Jersey officials say their second governor-led economic mission to India, which ended last week, was a success.

The trip, from Sept. 19-24, included meetings in New Delhi, Kochi, Bengaluru and Mumbai, and focused on deepening economic, academic and cultural ties with India.

As always, creating jobs in New Jersey was a top priority.

New Jersey and India exchanged $11.3 billion in bilateral trade in 2023, and India’s deep investments have helped to create nearly 3,000 New Jersey jobs since Gov. Phil Murphy took office in 2018. The six-day mission delivered expansion commitments from Indian companies across the technology, life sciences and retail sectors. These expansions are expected to create nearly 400 new jobs in New Jersey, including:

• Axtria Inc. (Berkeley Heights): Expansion (50 jobs)
• Biocon (Cranbury): Manufacturing facility (100 jobs)
• Indegene (Princeton): Expansion (50 jobs)
• Kalyan Jewellers (Edison): Expansion, including U.S. headquarters and two stores (25 jobs)
• Lupin (Bridgewater and Somerset): Expansion (30 jobs)
• Tata Communications (Matawan): Expansion (30 jobs, projected over the next 3-4 years)
• Umedica Labs (Parsippany): Expansion (5 jobs)
• Bliss GVS (Coming to state): U.S. headquarters (30 jobs)
• Rubicon (East Brunswick): Newly acquired warehouse facility (15 jobs)
• Meteoric Biopharma (Morris Plains): Research & development lab (25 jobs)
• BDR Pharmaceuticals (Jersey City): 25 jobs

Murphy said additional expansions and investments are expected in the coming months, signaling continued job growth for the state.

“It is an honor to return to India and see firsthand the progress we have made since my historic 2019 visit as the first sitting New Jersey governor to visit India,” he said. “Since that time, we have built a strong foundation of collaboration, and Indian companies have become key contributors to New Jersey’s economic growth. We are committed to deepening this partnership and creating even more opportunities for growth together.”

Murphy’s landmark 2019 economic mission helped spark a wave of investment that continues to deliver results today. Recent expansions, including Biocon’s ribbon-cutting earlier this month, were highlighted during the mission, underscoring the ongoing impact of Indian investment in New Jersey.

Other companies, such as Aurobindo Pharmaceuticals and Enzene Biosciences, also expanded their presence in New Jersey, reinforcing the momentum of this growing partnership. Since the 2019 mission, Choose New Jersey opened the New Jersey India Center, with offices in both New Delhi and Bengaluru, to provide direct support and resources to Indian companies. And in 2024, the governor established the New Jersey-India Commission to further strengthen ties and promote new opportunities for collaboration between the two regions.

“India remains one of New Jersey’s top foreign direct investors year after year, and this mission underscored how vital that partnership is,” Choose New Jersey CEO Wes Mathews said. “Over the past few days, we met with hundreds of Indian business and government leaders and secured expansion commitments across technology, life sciences and retail that will bring nearly 400 new jobs to New Jersey. I am deeply grateful to all of our sponsors and partners whose support made this mission possible. With the nation’s largest Indian American community per capita, our state offers both the business advantages and welcoming environment that allow Indian companies and families to thrive.”

Mayor Samip Joshi, who joined the mission as a delegate and whose town of Edison is home to one of the largest Indian diasporas in New Jersey, as well as Oak Tree Road, a vibrant hub of Indian restaurants, shops and cultural life, emphasized how stronger ties between the state and India translate into economic opportunities and cultural enrichment for residents.

“New Jersey’s economic mission to India highlights the incredible opportunities that come when global partnerships meet local communities,” Joshi said. “For Edison, home to one of the largest Indian American communities in the state, these strengthened ties bring not only jobs and investment, but also cultural exchange that enriches the lives of our residents.”

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