The University of Louisville has announced plans for the federally funded Center for Bioscience, a research and innovation facility and the first building to be constructed in a high-density, multi-use innovation park proposed for the former Kentucky Trailer property. A $70 million federal appropriation championed by Senator Mitch McConnell will fund construction of the approximately 70,000 square foot building.
The Center for Bioscience will be custom designed as a collaboration space for research and innovation teams from UofL’s Health Sciences Center and Belknap Campus. The state-of-the-art interdisciplinary research facility will bring together researchers from biosciences, engineering, computational science and related disciplines to accelerate discovery, innovation and technology development.
“The Center for Bioscience represents a strategic investment in the university’s research enterprise and will transform the regional innovation ecosystem,” said President Gerry Bradley. “The larger vision for an innovation park will further drive collaborative research and expand our connection with industry and the community.”
The innovation park is a planned development for the 37-acre property formerly owned by Kentucky Trailer acquired by the UofL Foundation in 2008. The property is bordered by S. Third St., S. Brook St. and the CSX and Norfolk Southern railroad. It is just south of the Speed School of Engineering.
Developer Wexford Science + Technology shared concept plans for the project with the UofL Board of Trustees at their July 23 meeting. Plans highlighted options for additional academic and industrial facilities, living spaces, a restaurant, parking and greenspace. Key considerations include potential uses for the property’s historic Drop Forge building and a pedestrian walkway over the railroad, connecting the park with Belknap Campus.
The Center for Bioscience will be constructed on the northeast side of the property, adjacent to the J.B. Speed School of Engineering.
“As the first building to be constructed in the innovation park, the Center for Bioscience will catalyze expansion of the university’s scientific capacity and strengthen regional and national innovation competitiveness,” said Jon Klein, executive vice president for research and innovation. “The building is key in our goal of advancing the translation of discoveries by fostering multidisciplinary research and collaboration.”
The Center for Bioscience will house advanced research infrastructure including wet, dry and computational laboratories, shared core facilities, collaboration spaces, conference facilities and research offices that support basic, applied and translational research.
The center will support activities such as design, prototyping, testing and refinement of biomedical technologies, translational research conducted in partnership with federal and industry collaborators and applied technology development efforts addressing real world health challenges.
Beyond the Center for Bioscience, other aspects of the innovation park will facilitate industry collaboration, allowing companies to access UofL’s workforce pipeline, engage with students, collaborate with university researchers and clinicians, access shared research infrastructure and form strategic partnerships in biosciences, engineering, computational science and other fields to accelerate commercialization and fuel economic growth.
Download a high-resolution file here for the preliminary conceptual image of the Center for Bioscience shown at the top.
