Colorado State University celebrated the beginning of construction on the University's Research Innovation Center with a ceremony on Dec. 17 in the West Ballroom of the Lory Student Center.
The 72,000-square-foot, $53 million facility will be the latest addition to Colorado State's Infectious Disease Research Center. It will be located in the Judson Harper Research Complex on the University's Foothills Research Campus. The center will provide a hub for university scientists and students to partner with businesses to develop new products to treat and diagnose infectious diseases. The center will support research efforts of the University's Infectious Disease Supercluster and technology transfer through MicroRx, the non-profit arm of the Supercluster devoted to helping research discoveries become products in the marketplace. The Infectious Disease Supercluster is housed within the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
"Colorado State University has long been a leader in the field of infectious disease,” said Dr. Lance Perryman, Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “This facility will provide leading scientists in infectious disease research with an enhanced ability to leverage their discoveries into real-world tests, vaccines and medicines that fight infectious diseases."
The three-story building is expected to be completed in April 2010. Research at the center will involve faculty and students as well as startup companies and other private-sector scientists. The top floor will serve as a biotechnology incubator, fostering startup companies that will help translate university research into new products that address unmet medical needs. The facility will be built to standards that allow scientists to produce vaccines against infectious diseases for human clinical studies.
"This new addition to the University's cache of state-of-the-art facilities, world-recognized scientists and cutting-edge educational programs furthers our ability to make a real difference in the lives of people and animals suffering from infectious diseases while providing students with an exceptional education and real-world experience," said Bill Farland, Vice President for Research at Colorado State. "Partnerships with businesses in biotechnology will empower our collective knowledge, creativity and discoveries into meaningful products in the world's marketplace. This center will provide space for the university's professors and students to work side-by-side with businesses in making this difference."
