Johnson & Johnson Innovation is expanding J-Labs (formerly known as Janssen Labs) to include a new incubator based within Texas Medical Center’s Innovation Institute in Houston. The 30,000-square foot J-Labs facility, located at 2450 Holcombe Boulevard, will accommodate up to 50 life science startups. 

J&J Innovation says the new facility, J-Labs @TMC, will link regional entrepreneurs to opportunities to discuss funding, access third-party services, attend educational events, and meet with R&D experts from J&J's medical device and diagnostic technology, consumer healthcare product, and Janssen pharmaceutical teams. The firm adds that J-Labs @TMC will follow the same “no-strings attached” approach used at the J-Labs facilities based in California and Boston.  

Melinda Richter, head of J-Labs, said in a statement that J&J Innovation picked Houston as the location for its new incubator because “Space City” is a top global biotechnology cluster, and the Texas Medical Center is reportedly the largest medical center in the world. “The arrival of J-Labs @TMC creates a resource-rich environment that will not only support new startups fueled by the numerous medical and research institutes in the region, but will also be attractive to investors and entrepreneurs in the strong Texas life science industry,” added Robert C. Robbins, M.D., president and CEO of the Texas Medical Center.

The J-Labs network, which appears on GEN's List of 34 Biotech and Pharma Incubators, currently hosts 70 life science companies across its three active facilities located in San Diego, San Francisco (J-Labs @QB3), and Boston (J-Labs @LabCentral). J&J Innovation is also planning to open another California-based incubator, J-Labs @South San Francisco, in early 2015. J-Labs @South San Francisco, the firm says, will accommodate up to 50 companies in the Bay Area.

J&J Innovation is accepting applications from biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostics, consumer, and digital health companies across all J-Labs sites, including the new Houston incubator. Interested parties can visit https://www.janssenlabs.com/contactus/application to apply. 

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