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Southern Research broke ground on May 16 for an $84 million biotechnology center in Birmingham, Alabama, according to AL.com.
The new building is a flagship biotech center that will anchor the development of 200,000 square feet of new or renovated wet lab space for life sciences, Business Alabama reports.
Located at the corner of Arrington Boulevard (21st Street) and Ninth Avenue South, the center is expected to create about 150 new jobs, AL.com reports. The facility will also have space available to host biotech startups.
The new center will “double the Southern Research’s economic impact to $300 million annually,” according to Business Alabama.
“The project represents a major investment in the city of Birmingham and in the great work being done by our Southern Research team,” president and CEO of Southern Research, Josh Carpenter said, according to AL.com. “It builds on our strengths and puts us in a position for dynamic growth in the future.”
The facility will be a hub of scientific research for Southern Research scientists and UAB scientists to work on treatments such as cancer, COVID-19, and other diseases, AL.com reports.
“The discoveries that will be made here will definitely change lives,” President of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Dr. Ray Watts said, adding: “We share this vision for a greater biotech community.”
‘Facilitating bioscience entrepreneurism’
BIO Alabama CEO Rachel Lane also greeted the new Southern Research project.
“Southern Research’s biotech center will converge bioscience assets from across the state and exemplifies our state’s commitment to building this industry: State, city, and university stakeholders have invested in and collaborated with each other to turn this vision into a reality,” Lane said. “There is a lot to be excited about with this project, but Southern Research’s commitment to facilitating bioscience entrepreneurism is vital to creating the critical mass that will propel our industry forward.”
Southern Research was founded in 1941 as a non-profit scientific research AL.com said.
“We work with more than 150 industry and academic partners to drive scientific discoveries,” according to the Southern Research website. “From drug discovery to development, to carbon capture and environmental health sciences, every layer of our scientific and professional teams serve a fundamental role in moving science.”
