Construction has begun on a new research building at the University of Oregon, which will house new lab space for the Oregon Research Institute. The expansion of Oregon Research lab space is an important step for this growing institute, which is by far the largest and top funded independent research center in Oregon.
The total cost of construction on the new building will total over $17 million. Once completed the 80,000 square-foot facility will be shared by the Oregon Research Institute and the Educational Policy Improvement Center. Both non-profit organizations have strong affiliations with UO and are emblematic of the University's commitment to cooperating with private organizations to develop the 67-acre River Front Research Park near the University campus.
(artists rendering of new research building courtesy of the ORI)
The Oregon Research Institute is an independent center dedicated to finding effective medical treatments for health problems related to human behavior such as obesity or depression, while the Educational Policy Improvement Center is dedicated to developing educational policy to serve at-risk students and improve educational achievement.
The expansion is particularly noteworthy in the case of the ORI due to the unique character of the institute. Oregon Research is one of only 50 non-profits nationwide to receive federal funding from the NIH. In fact, it receives so much federal funding that it was ranked fourth overall in Oregon for NIH funding. The only organizations receiving more NIH funding in the state were Oregon's three major research universities; Oregon Health & Science University, the University of Oregon, and Oregon State University. The ORI will be occupying the majority of the building with only 1,000 square-feet being leased to the Educational Policy Improvement Center.
The new facility will greatly advance the ORI's research mission. The Institute is currently spread out over two buildings, which has impeded researchers' ability to efficiently collaborate and share new ideas and innovations. Consolidating into one building will better allow researchers to build and maintain connections within the institute as well as with colleagues at UO. According to the Institute's press release on the subject the new building will "revive the creative synergy and provocative research questions that can occur simply by virtue of being in closer proximity to each other."
The new facility will also increase the ORI's total research space from 3000 square-feet to over 10,000 square-feet. It will provide state of the art equipment and will greatly improve its research capabilities. The new research at UO will be indispensable for the mission of the Oregon Research Institute.
Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. invites you to connect with University of Oregon life science researchers and to showcase new laboratory products at the upcoming BioResearch Product Faire™ Front Line event on the Eugene campus on September 11, 2012. Researchers are invited to attend for free and learn about the latest laboratory equipment and supplies. Exhibitors can click the button below for funding stats and show information. We offer these three excellent networking and sales opportunities consecutively in Oregon in the Fall:
- Eugene Front Line™ event: 9/11/2012 on the University of Oregon campus
- Corvallis Bioresearch Product Faire™ event: 9/12/2012 on the Oregon State U campus
- Portland Bioresearch Product Faire™ event: 9/13/2012 on the OHSU campus
