Industry News

The Department of Agriculture announced in June of 2009 that it will provide $176 million in funding for renovations, repairs, and maintenance at 36 laboratory facilities. The funding has been allocated from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Industrial centrifuge manufacturer Centrisys Corp. broke ground on a 30,000-sf expansion of its headquarters in Kenosha, Wis., in August of 2009. The project will include the creation of additional manufacturing space for a total of 95,000-sf. The cost of the expansion, including new equipment, is approximately $3 million. Completion is expected in November of 2009.

The University of Colorado dedicated the $56 million Science and Engineering Building in Colorado Springs in August of 2009. The 156,000-sf facility houses 53 research labs, 32 teaching labs, and 11 classrooms. The sustainably designed building houses the departments of biology, physics, and mechanical and aerospace engineering, as well as the National Institute for Science, Space, and Security Centers, and the CU Institute for Bioenergetics. Ground was broken for the project in 2006.

Medicago is partnering with Genepole to construct a flu vaccine manufacturing facility in Evry, France. The facility will utilize Medicago’s plant-based vaccine production technology. Construction of the facility will commence pending successful phase one clinical trials of an H5N1 vaccine.

Dell has implemented strategies to reduce energy consumption that will result in $5.8 million in annual savings. By year-end 2009, the company will have cut global energy consumption by 48 million kilowatt hours per year.