UT System FreshAir conference kicks off with announcement of new Houston incubator

HOUSTON – More than 350 researchers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and executives from Texas and the country’s top pharmaceutical and venture companies are gathered in Houston today and Friday for the Texas FreshAIR conference, held annually by the University of Texas System.

At this morning’s opening session, Johnson & Johnson Innovation announced plans to establish a 30,000-square-foot incubator at the Texas Medical Center’s new Innovation Institute in Houston. The new facility will be called J-Labs @TMC. 

Incubators are collaborative programs that provide start-up companies with space, funding, expertise and other services to help develop and commercialize technology that will benefit society.

“We’re so pleased to welcome Johnson & Johnson Innovation to Houston because it will help us to build Texas as a ‘third coast’ for biosciences innovation,” said Patricia Hurn, Ph.D., vice chancellor for research and innovation at the UT System.

Texas FreshAIR (Academia Industry Roundtable) was conceived to create a strong biotechnology and venture ecosystem and to promote partnerships between industry, UT System and other Texas university systems.

The conference will continue through Friday at UT MD Anderson’s Mid Campus 1 building, 7007 Bertner Ave., and is featuring:

  • A world-class scientific session on immuno-oncology with highly-respected scientists from Texas academic institutions and industry.
  • A venture forum dedicated to Texas entrepreneurs and innovators.
  • Seventy speakers and panelists from Texas academic institutions, pharmaceutical and biotech companies and national and local venture groups.
  • Presentations from Texas NewCos (start-up corporations).

Featured speakers include:

  • Nessan Bermingham, Ph.D., venture partner, Atlas Ventures
  • Ronald A. DePinho, M.D., president, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
  • Ken Drazan, M.D., head, Johnson & Johnson Innovation
  • Nils Lonberg, Ph.D., senior vice president of immuno-oncology and biologics discovery, Bristol-Myers Squibb
  • Bob Tepper, M.D., co-founder, Third Rock Ventures
 About The University of Texas System

Educating students, providing care for patients, conducting groundbreaking research and serving the needs of Texans and the nation for more than 130 years, The University of Texas System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States, with nine academic universities, six health institutions and an enrollment of more than 213,000. The UT System confers more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees, educates two-thirds of the state’s health care professionals annually and accounts for almost 70 percent of all research funds awarded to public universities in Texas. The UT System has an annual operating budget of $15.6 billion (FY 2015) including $3 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. With about 90,000 employees, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state.