NEWARK N.J. – Today, Senator Andy Kim spoke at Rutgers University’s New Horizons for AI and Data Science Symposium, where he introduced his vision for New Jersey’s Einstein Corridor, a long-term strategic and interconnected ecosystem of all levels of government, academia, businesses, venture capital and finance to attract investment, foster innovation, and create opportunities. This event was hosted by the New Jersey Big Data Alliance and the Institute of Data Research and Innovation Sciences. This speech comes after Senator Kim recently published an op-ed on the Einstein Corridor and his vision of the future of New Jersey.  

You can read the speech as prepared HERE.  

Highlights of the speech include: 

Technology is changing at breakneck speed, we can only imagine where we’ll be a year from now, let alone 10 years from now…that change is impacting the way we work – the kinds of jobs we do, where we work, what’s valuable in the marketplace. 

We face an inflection point in American leadership, the future of democracy, and a questioning of the rules-based order that has largely defined how the world works for the past few generations…If we want to remain the global leader, we need to fight for it, work for it. We have to shape our future, because we if don’t, it will be shaped for us.  

As I’ve sought to develop a national strategy for meeting this moment of global competitiveness, I’ve come to the realization that New Jersey is perfectly positioned to be a major part of what comes next. I’m excited by that possibility. This new era of technology will create new centers of innovation. I believe New Jersey can be that hub. 

The Einstein Corridor will be a complex ecosystem that will build upon the extraordinary colleges and universities and our existing business community. It will bring in venture capital in a way we haven’t seen before, create a true start-up and entrepreneurship environment, generate advanced manufacturing, modernize our ports and transit, and attract talent from all over the world.   

It will provide a blueprint for the future of our state to maximize our own potential. One that, over the course of the next two decades, can supercharge investment and innovation so that industry leaders and cutting-edge researchers will want to be in New Jersey for fear of missing out. 

We should be increasing federal investments, not gutting them and shooting ourselves in the foot. I helped pass the Chips and Science Act, and I’m now working on a 2.0 version of industrial policy that will lift up other key industries…we need to strengthen New Jersey as a desirable place to live for everyone from ambitious college grads hungry to jumpstart a career to professionals seeking to build a family.   

It’s the place my parents – Korean immigrants – moved to four decades ago to build a life for me and my sister. My dad, a medical researcher. My mom, a nurse. 

At the end of the day, that is our goal. The Einstein Corridor isn’t just an idea to get companies and government programs to invest in New Jersey, it’s an idea to get people to invest in New Jersey. To reverse the brain-drain that leads less than 40 percent of high school graduates to stay in state for college. It’s an idea that says if you want to build something, build it in New Jersey.If you want to invent something, invent it in New Jersey. If you want to discover something, discover it in New Jersey. 

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