The developers of the new headquarters for Nokia’s research arm, Nokia Bell Labs, could receive up to $103.9 million in tax credits for the project at a sprawling innovation center in downtown New Brunswick.
SJP Properties, a New York-based company responsible for developing Nokia’s research and development facility, was approved for a major tax credit program, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority announced this week.
The program, known as Aspire, was created under New Jersey’s 2020 Economic Recovery Act to support development projects that offer a positive return for the state, according to the authority.
In 2023, Nokia announced its Bell Labs headquarters would relocate from its historic Union County campus to the New Jersey HELIX Innovation Center in New Brunswick — a technology and research complex formerly known as “The Hub.”
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Gov. Phil Murphy called the approved tax credits a milestone for the state’s technology sector that will “create long-term economic growth across the state.”
“Through the partnership of major institutions, like Nokia Bell Labs, the HELIX will support the creation of advanced technologies and allow startups to scale their businesses and commercialize life-changing inventions,” Murphy said in a statement.
The Innovation Center will span 1.5 million square feet across three buildings, supporting state-of-the-art facilities for health and life science organizations and professions, state officials said.
The Rutgers Translational Research Facility, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Hackensack Meridian Health and RWJBarnabas Health will be among the institutions housed in the $750 million complex.
The state Economic Development Authority’s announcement marks the second round of Aspire tax credits approved for the center. In 2023, the first phase and building were approved for up to $271 million in Aspire tax credits over 10 years.
Nokia Bell Labs, which comprises the majority of the second construction phase of the project, will be the main occupant of Building H-2 — a 10-story, nearly 370,000-square-foot research facility at the Innovation Hub, the authority said. The facility is expected to break ground this year.
Since the 1940s, Bell Labs has been located in Murray Hill, employing some of the world’s top scientists and innovators. Over the decades, the facility has earned 10 Nobel Prizes and secured over 20,000 patents for its technological breakthroughs.
The research center’s relocation to New Brunswick is expected to take five years, Nokia announced in December 2023.
The new center will help startups accelerate and commercialize intellectual property from Nokia Bell Labs and local universities, company officials said. It will focus on communication, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and optical and wireless networks.
“This state-of-the-art facility will not only enhance our research and development capabilities, but will also drive the creation of cutting-edge technology, generate new jobs, and stimulate long-term economic growth in the state,” Nishant Batra, Nokia’s chief strategy and technology officer said in a statement.
There will also be chemistry and biology labs, data centers, 3D printing facilities, machine shops, office space and conference rooms in the building, according to state officials. The main lobby is set to include a technology showcase and a coffee shop, with a public outdoor space linking to the Rutgers University campus and the New Brunswick train station.