Five pre-built and furnished lab/office suites on the 9th and10th floors of the N.J. Innovation Hub and Health & Life Science Exchange in New Brunswick, are now being marketed by JLL.
The labs/suites will be in HELIX 1 – the first of three buildings of the transformative, $1.5 million-square-foot first-of-its-kind innovation district. Located in the heart of New Brunswick, the HELIX aims to bring together industry and academia to foster research, learning, and entrepreneurship.
The plug-and-play suites will do just that.
Designed to support the rapid growth of emerging life science and tech companies and alleviate the time and financial burden that space moves entail, the new plug-and-play suites are situated on the 10th floor of H1 and are directly connected to New Jersey Innovation Hub space on the 9th floor.
The suites will be move-in ready, enabling companies to quickly start science and conserve capital for more critical business initiatives.
Announced in May 2025, the New Jersey Innovation Hub will be operated by Portal Innovations, which was selected after the completion of national RFP process for an innovation center operator. The process was designed and managed by JLL for selection by Core NJ Innovation Hub Partners, who will be located within the space
Ranging in size from 3,500 to 9,500 square feet, each suite offers a move-in-ready, state-of-the-art environment equipped with mobile casework, biosafety cabinets or chemical fume hoods, central compressed air, vacuum and CO₂ services, and modern office furnishings. Tenants will benefit from the unique balance of dedicated private space and access to a full ecosystem of shared services and amenities aimed at streamlining operations and catalyzing innovation.
Tenants will enjoy robust facilities management, tech-enabled conferencing spaces, and experience management services designed for the life sciences and tech workforce. They’ll also gain access to targeted programming and networking events, creating opportunities for collaboration across industry and academia.
JLL Executive Managing Director Dan Spero, who is leading the pre-built marketing campaign with Senior Managing Director Jason Benson and Vice Chairman Dan Loughlin, said the spaces are a perfect fit for today’s entrepreneurs.
“Today’s high-growth innovators need more than just space — they need a dynamic platform of services, shared spaces, amenities, and programming — they gravitate toward vibrant environments,” Spero said.
“These pre-built lab suites reduce capital outlay and design timelines while delivering premium infrastructure, connectivity to top-tier institutional partners, and an amenity-rich environment that enables companies to scale efficiently without administrative drag.”
NJ Innovation Hub tenants benefit from shared lab services curated and operated by Portal Innovations, including access to tissue culture rooms, microscopy equipment, and cold storage. A vivarium will be managed by Rutgers and tenants may leverage HELIX’s flexible conferencing and event capabilities, including large-format meeting space at the base of H1 and collaborative zones throughout the campus.
The New Jersey Innovation Hub brings together key partners including the N.J. Economic Development Authority, RWJBarnabas Health, Hackensack Meridian Health, DEVCO, Rutgers University, and Middlesex County, who will cohabitate on the 9th, 10th, and 11th floors with teams that will support venture creation and technology transfer.
JLL is collaborating with DEVCO, PORTAL, NJEDA and Choose NJ to market the new pre-built units to companies seeking a dynamic and cross-functional environment that can help fuel commercialization.
Chris Paladino, the president of DEVCO, which is serving as the master developer, said the suites match the environment.
“With its curated ecosystem in a vibrant university town, strategic partnerships, and high-spec lab infrastructure, the NJ Innovation Hub at HELIX sets a new standard for ready-to-go lab and office space in New Jersey’s growing innovation economy,” he said. “We are excited to work with JLL and our partners to launch the innovation center.”
Rachel Cohen, a senior business development officer at Choose New Jersey, agreed.
“The New Jersey Innovation Hub at HELIX fills a critical gap in our state’s innovation economy, delivering ready-to-use lab space, targeted programming, and a vibrant network that startups, spinouts, and global companies entering the U.S. market increasingly demand,” she said. “This project reflects New Jersey’s commitment to supporting high-growth ventures with the infrastructure and resources they need to thrive.”
Developed by the New Brunswick Development Corporation (DEVCO), the $750 million HELIX project aims to foster collaboration among academia, healthcare, and industry.
It includes H1 (home to the NJ Innovation Hub, Rutgers School of Medicine, and Rutgers Translational Research), H2 (future home of Nokia Bell Labs and their strategic innovation centers), and H3 (Office space, Rutgers School of Engineering’s WINLAB, prebuilt wet and dry lab space, purpose built housing for 98 Rutgers School of Medicine medical students and 265 market rate and affordable residential units.)
The site is supported by a robust transportation network and ongoing infrastructure upgrades, including a $65 million renovation and expansion of the New Brunswick NJ Transit station and expanded Amtrak and Acela service that will anchor the campus and make it easily accessible from major east coast cities, including Washington, DC, New York and Boston.
The first phase, known as H-1, is a 12-story, 574,000-square-foot building that is slated for completion in late 2025, with occupancy expected in early 2026.
