Research and Development

Merck Serono is engaged in a €300 million expansion of its biologics manufacturing campus in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland. The expanded Merck Serono Biotech Center will support the production of therapeutics for colorectal and head and neck cancers as well as autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The project will feature two dedicated production suites, each with a 120,000-liter bioreactor capacity. A logistics center and a wastewater treatment station will also be constructed. Production is expected to begin in 2012.

The University of Edinburgh is building the £7 million Centre for Systems Biology in Edinburgh, Scotland. The project began construction in January of 2008 and is slated for completion in 2009. The Centre will be housed in 900 sm in the C.H. Waddington Building, a three-story facility that will accommodate multidisciplinary laboratories and office space for research in biological sciences, informatics, and infectious diseases. The building will also house the Centre for Translational and Chemical Biology.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms broke ground on the National Center for Explosives Training and Research in Huntsville, Ala., in November of 2008. Slated for completion in 2010, the facility is located at the Redstone Arsenal and will include three explosive ranges, eight classrooms, a conference room, laboratories, and offices.

West Virginia University opened the $30 million Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute in Morgantown in October of 2008. The three-story, 78,000-sf facility houses technology-rich neuroscience research laboratories and can accommodate up to 100 investigators.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center is constructing the $74 million Durham Research Center II in Omaha. Construction began on the 10-story, 252,179-gsf facility in August of 2006. Featuring 98 technology-rich laboratories, investigator offices, and lab support, the facility will connect to UNMC’s existing Durham Research Center via a covered parkway.

The University of Minnesota Medical School will construct four biomedical research buildings in Minneapolis. The 56,000-sf Center for Magnetic Resonance Research is slated for completion in July of 2010 and the 120,000-sf Cancer Biomedical Research Building will open in January of 2012. The 120,000-sf Lillehei Heart Building will include the Center for Cardiovascular Repair and is expected to reach completion in July of 2012. The 90,000-sf Infectious Disease and Neuroscience building will open in July of 2013.

Soitec SA opened its 300-mm wafer fabrication plant in Singapore in November of 2008. Sited on 2.7 hectares at the company’s Pasir Ris campus, the facility houses 4,000-sm of cleanroom space. Construction of the €350 million project began in August of 2006. Soitec SA is a manufacturer of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers headquartered in Bernin, France.

The University of Queensland began construction in fall of 2008 on the $7 million Mineral Characterisation Research Facility (MCRF) in Brisbane, Australia. Located in the University's experimental mine at Indooroopilly, the project aims to boost metal production and reduce the use of mining electricity. The three-story facility is part of the Sustainable Minerals Institute and will accommodate research labs and office space for academic and industry partners. Completion is expected in mid-2009.

The Institute for Business & Home Safety will construct the $27 million Insurance Center for Building Safety Research in Chester, S.C. The complex will enable model structures to be tested in conditions resembling natural catastrophes to identify effective methods of minimizing risk and loss to homes and businesses. Sited on 90 acres, the multi-peril research campus will be able to subject commercial buildings and two-story houses to hazards such as hurricanes, hailstorms, and wild-blown fire.

The University of Illinois broke ground on the $72.5 million Petascale Computing Facility at the National Center for Super Computing Applications in Urbana-Champaign in November of 2008. The 95,000-sf Blue Waters Data Processing Center will include a command center, offices, loading docks, and a system administration center. A 20,000-sf water-cooled machine room with a six-foot raised floor will hold the IBM Blue Waters supercomputer and other systems.

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh opened the 300,000-sf John G. Rangos Sr. Research Center on October 29, 2008. Located in Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville district, the 10-story building will support biomedical research in heart disease, liver failure, pediatric cancer, diabetes, genomics, immunology, and neuroscience. Comprised of flexible, open laboratories accommodating 70 principal investigators, the facility will promote collaboration and interaction as well as providing shared equipment. Children’s will open a new hospital adjacent to the research building in May of 2009.

Merck Sharp and Dohme will begin construction in summer of 2009 on a €220 million vaccine manufacturing plant in Carlow, Ireland. Located in the IDA Business and Technology Park, the project includes formulation, manufacturing, and sterile filling facilities. Accommodating R&D, quality control, and administration, the building will support 170 employees and is expected to reach completion in 2011. Merck Sharp and Dohme is the U.K. subsidiary of Merck & Co.

SRI International broke ground on a 37,000-sf research and development facility in St. Petersburg, Fla., on October 30, 2008. Housing 100 investigators and staff engaged in marine science and technology research, the project will support the development of maritime port security technologies for the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command. The two-story building was designed by HOK and is being built by Manhattan Construction Company.

Washington University in St. Louis broke ground on a 150,875-sf energy and environmental science facility in late October of 2008. Housing the School of Engineering & Applied Science, the Stephen and Camilla Brauer Building will connect to the existing biomedical engineering facility, Whitaker Hall. The project will provide research and instructional laboratories, classrooms, conference rooms, and faculty offices for the School of Engineering's Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering (EECE).

The Department of Energy is constructing the $224 million Physical Sciences Facility for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. The three-building, 200,000-sf project includes facilities for radiation detection, materials science and technology, and nuclear and chemical weapons compliance testing. Ground was broken on the project in August of 2007 with construction commencing in August of 2008. Completion is expected in 2010.