URI opens Biotechnology Center

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I.—State officials on Monday celebrated the opening of the new Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences at the University of Rhode Island.

State and college leaders said they hope the building will help educate students for the high-paying biotech jobs of the future.

Voters made a $54 million investment in the building, but university and state officials expect that to pay off many times over.

The state-of-the art research and teaching facility will become the anchor of URI’s environmental, biotech, life and health sciences programs.

Gov. Don Carcieri said the campus will be a driver of the state’s economic engine in the future.

The Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences features a dramatic four-story atrium that connects the research wing with the teaching wing. It has a sustainable design that is expected to save more than $150,000 annually in energy costs.

The building also features modern classrooms and auditoriums.