Texas visit to boost Queensland biotech opportunities

HOUSTON, TEXAS: Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy Leeanne Enoch is fostering Queensland’s strategic partnership with one of the world’s leading health innovation companies during a visit to one of their innovation labs today.

Ms Enoch is visiting Houston, Austin and San Francisco this week on a trade mission to promote innovation and investment opportunities for Queensland business and startups as well as developing partnerships with key scientific and innovation agencies.

The Minister will today visit Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s newly opened JLABS facility at the Texas Medical Center’s new Innovation Institute in Houston.

Ms Enoch said the Queensland Government was working with Johnson & Johnson Innovation on a number of initiatives, including the upcoming opening of a new Johnson & Johnson Innovation Partnering Office at QUT.

“Johnson & Johnson Innovation is one of the world’s leaders in mentoring and supporting the rising stars in health innovation, providing budding entrepreneurs and innovative companies with the tools, support and environment in which their ideas can flourish and their companies can thrive,” Ms Enoch said.

“Visiting facilities like JLABS will deliver insights into how we can better support early stage companies in the health sector within Queensland, especially when the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Partnering Office opens at QUT.

“The new centre will facilitate access by Queensland researchers and companies to the vast resources and expertise across Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s scientific research, investor and commercial business sectors with the aim of nurturing and accelerating Queensland’s life sciences ecosystem.

“Having Johnson & Johnson Innovation set up shop in Brisbane is a real shot in the arm to the local life science and medical technologies sectors.

The company’s presence will provide an important critical mass for the successful development and growth of the industry.”

The centre is part of the Palaszczuk Government’s $180 million Advance Queensland innovation and jobs plan.

Three major partnerships will commercialise Queensland’s biggest and best discoveries, including Johnson & Johnson and the Queensland University of Technology, the University of Queensland and Emory University in the United States, and Siemens Healthcare, the Queensland University of Technology and the Translational Research Institute on ground-breaking MRI research and innovation.

The partnership has already supported the Advance Queensland Johnson & Johnson Innovation Quick Fire Challenge, launched in September.

The competition is designed to discover some of the best health innovations in the world which will bring benefits for patients and help to create future jobs and business opportunities.

Ms Enoch said there were three $100,000 prizes up for grabs, in the fields of therapeutics, medical devices and consumer healthcare.

“The Queensland Government is providing the prize money as part of the Palaszczuk Government’s $180 million Advance Queensland initiative,” she said.

“A condition of the challenge is that the winners have to spend their prize money in Queensland on research and commercialisation services, bringing direct benefits back to the Queensland economy.”

The winners will be announced shortly.

During her US trade mission Ms Enoch will also hold meetings ahead of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk leading a Queensland research and business delegation to the 2016 BIO International Convention in San Francisco, which will be held from 6 to 9 June.

Media contact: Daniel Lato 0438 830 201