KU seeks approval for research center

Three-story facility could house up to 180 researchers and faculty

In the continuing effort to attract world-class scientists and provide critical space for specialized research in life sciences and other fields, KU plans to construct a $40 million research center on its west campus.

Building the three-story, 106,000-square foot center is contingent on approval this month from the Kansas Board of Regents, the Legislature’s Joint Committee on State Building Construction and the State Finance Council.

The center, informally called the “Multidisciplinary Research Building” would be built near Foley Hall and would be home to up to 180 researchers and faculty.

If approvals are granted, construction could be completed by December 2005.

The state and the regents must this month approve construction of the center, but building it will not require the use of state funds. The center will be financed entirely through bonds issued by the Kansas Development Finance Authority and funded by the KU Center for Research, a nonprofit foundation designed to facilitate and increase research.