Med Center plans new research facility

The University's Board of Trustees has approved planning for the construction of the new research building to be located at the intersection of Elmwood Avenue and Lattimore Road (currently the site of a parking lot outside the School of Medicine and Dentistry).

This new facility "will give us desperately needed lab space and incorporate state-of-the-art laboratory features," says Senior Vice President and Vice Provost for Health Affairs Jay Stein. "As we make plans for the new century and place our energies toward making the University of Rochester a world-class center for biomedical research and education, it is clear that this new building is crucial.

"Further, we are renovating and updating space within the medical school to accommodate expanding research needs," adds Stein.

Stein noted the proposed location for the new facility brings it closer to the River Campus. "This was an important part of the planning because we want the opportunity to interact more easily with other departments on campus, particularly chemistry and biology," he said.

After final University approval and other regulatory approvals, construction could begin in the summer of 1997 at a cost of approximately $50 million, to be paid for from a combination of internal operating funds, capital financing, outside fund raising, and research grants and contracts.

Stein emphasizes that the new facility will be devoted to research, not patient care, and as such will not affect the cost of clinical services at Strong Memorial Hospital. The new facility will bring about 250 new jobs to Rochester, including 50 new biomedical research faculty.