A new era for scientific discovery was unveiled Sept. 20 during a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony for Michigan State University’s $88.1 million Grand Rapids Research Center.
“The opening of our Grand Rapids Research Center is a major step toward creating a special blend of learning and discovery that will have a positive impact on the lives of the people we serve in Michigan, the country and the world,” said MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon.
Simon was joined by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Michigan Lt. Governor Brian Calley, MSU College of Human Medicine Dean Norman J. Beauchamp Jr. and other officials.
The six-story, 162,800-square-foot facility will initially accommodate 33 principal investigators and their research teams, with space eventually to house 44 research teams. Twenty-five MSU College of Human Medicine researchers and their teams currently housed in the Van Andel Institute will move into the new research center later this fall.
Areas of scientific study include Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, cancer, women’s health and infertility, as well as autism and pediatric cancers.
“This research center is built around collaboration, not only to promote the sharing of ideas and information among the scientists within, but with the researchers and physicians at Spectrum Health, Van Andel Institute, Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, Grand Valley State University, Pine Rest and Mary Free Bed,” Beauchamp said.
“For us to be a leader in medical research, having these incredibly powerful institutions working together is essential,” he added.
MSU broke ground on the research center back in June 2015.
The project delivery team included Clark Construction Co. of Lansing and Rockford Construction of Grand Rapids as co-managers of construction; SmithGroupJJR of Detroit, engineering and architect of record; and Ellenzweig, of Cambridge, Mass., design architect. Michigan State University was represented by Kramer Management Group and MSU Infrastructure Planning and Facilities.
The new research center is located on the site of the former Grand Rapids Press building, at the corner of Michigan Street and Monroe Avenue in downtown Grand Rapids.
A public event for tours of the new research center will be held Friday, Sept. 22, from 11am – 2pm, at 400 Monroe Ave. NW, Grand Rapids.