Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Innovation has opened the new California Innovation Center to build early stage collaborations with emerging companies in science and technology and advance healthcare.
The new centre has the flexibility to adapt deal structures that go with early-stage needs and opportunities, and is expected to support nearly 20,000 jobs either directly or indirectly.
Johnson & Johnson pharmaceuticals worldwide chairman and chief scientific officer Paul Stoffels said, "We look forward to deepening connections within the west coast life science ecosystem and nurturing healthcare innovation as well as economic prosperity in the region."
The California Innovation Center will bring together J&J's facilities in the state, including Acclarent, Advanced Sterilization Products, BabyCenter, Biosense Webster, Codman Neurovascular, Cordis, Mentor, Neutrogena, Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy R&D, Janssen Labs, Janssen Research & Development and LifeScan.
Johnson & Johnson California Innovation Center head Diego Miralles said the new center represents the company's commitment to supporting the state's strong life science ecosystem and will serve as a single point of entry for innovators to efficiently and creatively explore relationships and investment opportunities.
The company has plans to open a center in Boston in the summer of 2013 and another for Shanghai by the end of the year, besides a center in London that was opened in March this year.
Selection of the cities for establishing the centers is based on robust life sciences community that provides an environment to identify investment, in-license and collaboration opportunities.
