The $70 million federally funded facility will be a collaborative research center for the university’s Health Sciences Center and Belknap Campus.
The University of Louisville has announced plans for a new Center for Bioscience and innovation park as the first building to be constructed on the former Kentucky Trailer site. The Center for Bioscience will be federally funded through a $70 million appropriation that was championed by Senator Mitch McConnell. The new building will become a collaborative research center for the university’s Health Sciences Center and Belknap Campus.
According to an article on the University of Louisville’s website, Jon Klein, who serves as the university’s executive vice president for research and innovation, was quoted as saying of the project, “As the first building to be constructed in the innovation park, the Center for Bioscience will catalyze expansion of the university’s scientific capacity and strengthen regional and national innovation competitiveness. The building is key in our goal of advancing the translation of discoveries by fostering multidisciplinary research and collaboration.”
The Center for Bioscience will house wet, dry, and computational laboratories, shared core facilities, collaboration spaces, conference facilities, and research offices. The center will be a space for collaborative research between individuals researching biosciences, engineering, and computational science in the Health Sciences Center and Belknap Campus to help address health challenges facing the world.
University President Gerry Bradley said, “The Center for Bioscience represents a strategic investment in the university’s research enterprise and will transform the regional innovation ecosystem. The larger vision for an innovation park will further drive collaborative research and expand our connection with industry and the community.”
The innovation park, which is where the Center for Bioscience will be located, will be on the site of the former Kentucky Trailer site, which was acquired by the UofL Foundation in 2008. The 37-acre property is just south of the university’s Speed School of Engineering. Other features and facilities being considered for the innovation park include academic and industrial facilities, living spaces, a restaurant, parking, and greenspace.
For more information about the University of Louisville, visit the school’s website.