ASU and UA broke ground on the Arizona Biomedical Collaborative at the Downtown Phoenix Campus Thursday.
The four-story building will house an expansion of the UA College of Medicine and ASU's biomedical research facilities as part of downtown's Phoenix Biomedical Campus.
UA President Peter Likins said the collaboration between the two universities is key in the success of the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.
"We are bringing all resources together. When ASU and UA work together, we are a powerful team," Likins said. "We will rely upon the talents of both institutions."
The ABC building will be located at 445 N. 5th St. on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, adjacent to the Translational Genomics Research Institute.
UA medical students will study at the facility, according to materials from UA. The first class is slated to be 15 students.
UA students and faculty will be able to collaborate with ASU researchers who will study illnesses including cancer, diabetes and neurological and respiratory diseases.
Construction should be complete by May 2007. The first class of medical students should start using the facility that August.
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon said combining university efforts with institutes like TGen would mold the future of Arizona.
"The centerpiece is education, science and research," Gordon said.
According to a UA College of Medicine pamphlet, the downtown Phoenix campus would create between 14,000 and 24,000 new jobs by 2025.
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano said the ABC
building and the biomedical campus mark the beginning of Arizona's transition into the 21st century.
"This is an example of what we do when we have a vision and we have a plan," she said. "In Arizona we do science, and we do it right."
Gordon said he was excited that the citizens of Phoenix are supportive of funding higher education. In Tuesday's election, Phoenix voters approved seven bonds that would help fund higher education, he said. One bond would provide $184 million for ASU's downtown Phoenix campus.
"I am thankful for the voters who believe in our future," Gordon added.
ASU President Michael Crow, who was wearing a UA-colored red and blue tie Thursday, said ASU is committed to collaborating with UA and the state to build the ABC facility and support scientific research.
"The University of Arizona really is an institution that is helping us to grow up," Crow said. "The building will link our facilities, link our visions and link our dreams."
A key aspect of making the collaboration work is the support of the state government, Crow said.
The ABC facility and the others included in the downtown campus would make Arizona's center a place surrounded by young people with more creativity and energy, he added.
Reach the reporter at tara.brite@asu.edu.
