AbbVie Japan is sponsoring one Golden Ticket, available for use at BioLabs Tokyo, as well as offering AbbVie Special Mentoring Program(s). The Golden Ticket provides one year of free lab bench space to emerging biotech startups, significantly reducing operational barriers and enabling promising ventures to focus on scientific breakthroughs, as well as one-year mentoring support from AbbVie’s R&D experts. The AbbVie Special Mentoring Program provides one-year mentoring support from AbbVie’s R&D experts.​
Both the Golden Ticket and the AbbVie Special Mentoring Program(s) will be awarded to a life science startup company (“Award Recipient”) working on research and development in the fields of Immunology, Oncology, Neuroscience, Obesity, and Aesthetics. Special consideration will be given to companies focused on genetic medicine, biologics, pain, migraine, neuropsychiatry, obesity/metabolism, and respiratory.​
Additional eligibility requirements are listed below.​
Abbvie Innovation Prize Benefits
Eligibility Snapshot
AbbVie is looking for Japanese biotech companies that fit the following criteria:​
Have a primary business location in Japan or be willing to relocate
Willing to spinout from academia as a legal entity and disclose their shareholders
Have raised less or equal to $8 Million prior to engagement for non-dilutive seed funding​
Focused on science / technology with potential to generate transformational therapies that align strategically with AbbVie’stherapeutic areas of interest, including immunology, oncology, neuroscience, obesity, and aesthetics
Developing therapeutic platform technologies, including genetic medicine, novel in vivo cell therapy (such as in situ CAR),novel drug-discovery or platform technologies
Exclusions: Autologous and allogeneic cell therapy, diagnostics, devices, research tools, and healthcare services/IT​
For additional requirements refer to the Terms and Conditions document
For additional requirements refer to the Terms and Conditions document
The Application Process
01
Submit applications by
August 14th, 2026
02
Virtual final pitch event to select the winner in Spetember 2026
(Exact date TBD)
03
One Golden Ticket will be awarded on October 2026!
Exact date TBC
Good luck!
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding this competition,
contact
AbbVie_Japan_Innovation_Awards@abbvie.com
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If you have any questions regarding BioLabs please contact
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