At Washington University in St. Louis, a new genome data facility will enable cancer research. Investigators at the University of Alaska Fairbanks will have new facilities for obesity research and prevention. And at the University of Miami, investigations into human behavior will be conducted in brand new laboratory space. What ties this diverse research together is the common thread of Recovery Act funding.
Announced on May 14 by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and NIH Director Francis Collins at the Indiana University School of Medicine (which received funds to develop a pediatric clinical research facility), the NIH awarded 146 Recovery Act construction and renovation grants to institutions in 44 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Administered by the National Center for Research Resources, the funds from these grants, totaling one billion dollars, enable the renovation and new construction of buildings, laboratory spaces and core facilities critical to biomedical and behavioral research.
These new facilities will create, sustain and preserve jobs, from the initiation of construction through to the hiring of new biomedical investigators. But what’s even more impressive is the effect that the awards will have on the future. Not only do these grants invest in new facilities that will shape scientific discoveries for decades to come, but they also require grantees to implement “green” design principles and sustainable technologies wherever possible, thus minimizing negative health and environmental consequences. The long-term positive impact of the Recovery Act awards on the economy, science, technology and public health will surely be felt for many generations.
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