Sweeney Attends 2020 BioNJ Annual Dinner

East Brunswick – Senate President Steve Sweeney attended the 2020 BioNJ annual dinner meeting, where he spoke of the many accomplishments and innovations of the New Jersey life sciences community.

Senator Sweeney commenced the evening by delivering the opening remarks on the importance of STEM programs within New Jersey as well as the state’s reputation of being a leader within the bio-technology industry.

“New Jersey has been considered the ‘medicine chest of the world’ for our thriving biotech industry,” said Senator Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland). “While this continues to be a strength of New Jersey’s economy, more can be done to ensure that we are fulfilling our commitment to research, innovation and growth with this industry. We have long been world leaders in the industry and I am committed to ensuring we remain so for years to come.”

With over 40% of new drug and therapy approvals coming from companies with a footprint in New Jersey, the evening was a general celebration of the innovation coming out of the state, as well as a specific tribute to companies that received FDA approvals in 2019.

“Our state is fortunate to have a strong foundation for the biotech and life sciences industries and we must continue to build upon our storied past,” said Senator Sweeney. “That means we need to provide support for education, job training, economic development and the partnerships between universities and high tech businesses – including bio-technology.”

“We were incredibly grateful to have the Senate President join us for one of BioNJ’s biggest nights of the year,” said Debbie Hart, founding President and CEO of BioNJ. “New Jersey is home to some of the largest, most innovative and most reputable life science companies in the world, and as Senator Sweeney said tonight, we intend to keep it that way.”