The University of California, Irvine, on Wednesday said it received $27.2 million from the state to build its stem cell research facility.
The three-story, 61,600-square-foot building will support the university’s stem cell biology program and serve as a hub for research in Southern California. The Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center will be housed there.
The facility will have the core stem cell laboratory and equipment for stem cell research and clinical space for patients to be seen.
Construction is set to start in September,pending UC Board of Regents approval,and wrap up in July 2010.
“We expect the building will service not only UCI, but also our regional partners as well as visitors from around the world,” Hans Keirstead, co-director of the stem cell center, said in a release.
UC Irvine has a received a total of $46.8 million from the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, which governs the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
In all, the building will cost $61 million to build. Private donations and campus debt money are funding the rest of the cost.
UCI plans to recruit six faculty members to expand its stem cell research and regenerative medicine programs.
