Edwards Lifesciences Corp., the Irvine-based heart valve maker, has given $5 million to the University of California, Irvine’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering to start a research and development center for heart devices.
The Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology’s programs will be directed by UC Irvine’s biomedical engineering department. It’s set to serve other parts of the university, including the School of Medicine and the Beckman Laser Institute.
UCI is holding a national search for a director for the center, which is going to be in a building under construction on campus. That building is set to be finished in 2009.
Edwards is giving the money through its Edwards Lifesciences Fund. In a statement, Chief Executive Michael Mussallem said Edwards was proud to partner with UCI “to establish a center devoted to transformational cardiovascular technology research.”
UCI’s biomedical engineering department was established in 2002 and focuses on education, training, research and technology in areas like biomedical lasers, manufacturing miniature medical devices, and developing computer simulations.
