A recent delegation led by New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Tanesha Way reinforced the importance of strengthening the partnership between New Jersey and one its most vital global economic partners – India.
From December 8th to December 16th, 2024, New Jersey Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State Tanesha Way headed the New Jersey-India Commission’s inaugural trip to India. The group spent 8 days visiting 5 cities: Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, and New Delhi. Established by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, the New-Jersey India Commission seeks to foster continued educational and cultural exchanges with India, while pursuing long-term economic growth, entrepreneurship and development opportunities.
The delegation, comprised of over 20 New Jerseyans from various occupational sectors, met with key leaders and industry representatives from the life sciences, technology innovation and academic communities in India. This included meetings with Indian companies like Biocon Ltd, which established their first North American headquarters for their subsidiary Biocon Biologics Ltd in Bridgewater, New Jersey in July, 2024. The group also met with Tamil Nadu Technology (iTNT) Hub; an organization committed to creating a deep tech innovation network for startup entrepreneurship. While there, Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey, and iTNT Hub signed a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate opportunities for greater collaboration, with a particular focus on research, development, educational exchange, and startup ventures.
Notably, Lieutenant Governor Way also signed a sister state agreement between New Jersey and the State of Karnataka at the Tie Global Summit in Bengaluru to further bolster the life sciences and biotechnology industries of both states. This newly minted partnership builds on previous business delegations to India from 2019 to 2023, during which New Jersey inked two sister state agreements: Gujarat and Telangana. These sister state agreements complement existing sister city partnerships, including Edison’s connection with Vadodara and Jersey City’s connections with New Delhi, Karnavati, and Kolkata.
This delegation stems from New Jersey and India’s preexisting economic and cultural ties. According to the New Jersey Global Economic Index, India emerges as New Jersey’s number one global partner across several factors including current investment figures and future predictions. In the last twenty years, India has invested more than $2 billion as New Jersey’s second largest foreign direct investor, generating upwards of 6,000 jobs in shared key industries. In total, there is an estimated $11.3 billion in annual bilateral trade between India and New Jersey.
Along with strengthening New Jersey’s enduring economic partnership with India, the commission highlights New Jersey’s ever-growing Indian American diaspora, the second largest in the nation. The trip reflects continued interest to leverage the state’s demographics to promote cultural exchange and encourage business opportunities for New Jerseyans, Indian Americans, and the people of India.
Emma Potts is a Spring 2025 Young Professional at the East-West Center in Washington. Emma recently graduated from Columbia University, majoring in Political Science and East Asian Languages & Cultures.