Life Sciences Research Institute to begin construction this fall
An ambitious dream will be realized when construction begins on the Life Sciences Research Institute (LSRI) in the fall of 2007. A joint project of Dalhousie University, Capital Health and the IWK Health Centre, this five-storey, $42-million complex will provide more than 100,000 square feet of new space for research and commercial development of scientific discoveries. To be located adjacent to Dalhousie Medical School, the LSRI will become a magnet for talented medical researchers, and a driver for economic growth in the Maritimes.
Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation made the first financial commitment to the LSRI, offering $2.1 million in cornerstone funding. The project so far has received approximately $37 million funding in total from Industry Canada, the Province of Nova Scotia, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Canada Foundation for Innovation and private donors. Dalhousie University has contributed the land. This funding includes $15 million from Industry Canada announced recently for seven centres of excellence, including LSRI.
The world-renowned Brain Repair Centre will be the LSRI's anchor tenant.
Click here for more detailed information on the LSRI.
Genesis of the Life Sciences Research Institute
The Lifes Sciences Research Institute (LSRI) is the culmination of several years of effort to create new research and development infrastructure in Halifax.
The Life Sciences Development Association played an important role, building support for the vision of a Life Sciences Research Village. Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation invested $1.35 million in the first phase of this project in 2003, namely, construction of 18,000 square feet of new research space in the MacKenzie Building (Victoria General Site, QEII Health Sciences Centre). Dalhousie Medical School and Capital Health District provided the remaining funds for this $2.5 million project. The new space houses the Department of Community Health & Epidemiology and the Centre for Functional Microbial Genomics and Host Defense, a state-of-the-art wet lab facility for infectious diseases and proteomics researchers.