Ground breaks today on the Chicago campus for the Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center of Northwestern University.
The 12-story facility will house laboratories and offices for cancer research, genetics, molecular medicine, neuroscience, bioengineering and advanced medicine.
The center is named for the late husband of Ann Lurie, a member of the NU Board of Trustees who donated $40 million to fund the building.
Additional funding came from a $30 million commitment from the state’s VentureTECH fund, a $30 million investment by Northwestern Memorial Hospital and an anonymous $25 million gift from an alumnus. The total cost of the building will be about $200 million.
The center will stretch about 420,000 total square feet with about 185,000 square feet reserved for research space. When finished, the building will hold about 700 researchers, technicians, post-doctoral students and lab assistants in its nine stories of laboratory space.
In addition, some of the researchers associated with NU’s already established Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center will work in the new building.
Steven Rosen, director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center, said he was very enthusiastic about what the new building will do for NU.
“Northwestern has evolved into one of the dominant research-intensive medical centers in the country,” he said.
While Rosen explained that NU’s medical research previously had been limited by space and resources, he said the new building will allow for expansion and the opportunity to enhance faculty. Rosen also said the building will facilitate synergy between various research groups.
