UC Holds Open House at New Research Center
Giant Lab Facility Donated by Aventis

The University of Cincinnati Medical Center opened the doors to its newest research facility stretching across more than 23 acres on East Galbraith Road in Reading.

The facility, which includes approximately 360,000 square feet of office and laboratory space, was donated recently by Aventis Pharmaceuticals. The donation was approved the UC Board of Trustees in January.

The ceremony to celebrate the donation of the new University of Cincinnati Research Center included Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Roderick Chu, Aventis Pharma Senior Vice President Errol de Souza, Board of Trustees Chairman Benjamin Gettler, and Reading Mayor Earl Schmidt.

Donald Harrison, MD, Senior Vice President and Provost for Health Affairs, said the new facility will play a crucial role in meeting the goals of the Medical Center's Millennium Resarch Plan. The plan calls for UC to double the amount of funding received for biomedical research and adding 260 researchers by 2006.

It's estimated that the new facility will bring in more than 400 new jobs and attract as many as 40 top scientists.

Aventis will continue to operate manufacturing facilities located in an adjacent complex. The UC labs cover seven interconnected buildings. The first researchers are expected to move in this fall.