UAB Breaks Ground on $90 Million Biomedical Research Center

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Inc.; Houston, TX). The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is moving forward with an aggressive research expansion campaign. The Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Center is the first of a proposed four-phase development and will carry the name of U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL). Senator Shelby has played a key role in securing approximately $27.5 million in federal funding for the $90 million building, with the remaining funds coming from state, local, and private sources.

The 340,000 square foot project will bring UAB's total research space to approximately 1.5 million square feet and create over 1,000 new local jobs. If successful at attracting the projected $100 million annually in additional research funding, the new center will make the National Institutes of Health's top-10 list by 2010. The university expects $360 million in research money this year alone.

CUH2A Incorporated (Atlanta, GA) is the architect for the project, which is expected to be complete in 2004.

UAB began construction last year on another research facility, known as Biomedical Research II. The six-story 95,000 square foot facility will house laboratories, research offices, and lab support areas.