RFU officially broke ground on a new Innovation and Research Park on April 2, 2018, which will dramatically change the landscape of its North Chicago campus with the addition of a four-story, 100,000 square-foot building.

The university held a ceremonial groundbreaking last fall to mark this new era in discovery at RFU where academic and industry scientists and entrepreneurs will work together to translate the university’s biomedical research into new treatments for disease. The building will feature state-of-the-art laboratories, meeting and office space for faculty and commercial startups and national and international biotech and healthcare firms.

“The Innovation and Research Park is evidence of our commitment to improving wellness through biomedical advances and an ever-deeper understanding of the human body and the disease processes that do it harm,” said President and CEO Dr. K. Michael Welch.

“We will be providing our researchers—the current generation and the next generation—with state-of-the-art facilities, where they can do cutting-edge science and push that science beyond the bench toward real-life applications.” said Executive Vice President of Research Ronald Kaplan, PhD.

"If you look at the gestalt of research power here, there is enormous potential. Sometimes it takes just a spark to move from an exciting idea to an exciting finding in the lab that can quickly be turned into a treatment or cure. A research park would put the skills and minds of people with similar interests in the same place, working toward common goals.”

— Beth Stutzman, PhD, RFU associate professor of neuroscience, leading Alzheimer’s disease researcher

You can watch Dr. Stutzman's video in the thumbnail next to this story.

RFU has created several disease-focused research centers to be housed within the Innovation and Research Park. As part of the recently announced Brain Science Institute, the new centers will promote collaboration and synergy, facilitate external funding and enhance philanthropic opportunities. The centers will also enable the formation of an industrial affiliate program, strategic faculty recruitment and optimized interior space design of the building.

“We are creating a pathway and structure for enhanced collaboration with the biosciences industry in these debilitating disease areas of great societal impact and expected continued growth in incidence and prevalence due to the lack of good therapeutic and diagnostic options in the United States,” Dr. Kaplan said.

The Brain Science Institute is an example of RFU’s research strength in devastating areas of disease. It will include:

• Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and Therapeutics
• Center for Brain Function and Repair
• Center for Stress Resilience and Psychiatric Disorders

The Brain Science Institute and its centers will include 14 core faculty aided by 34 graduate students and research support staff, with plans for future growth.

Disease-focused research centers also recently formed include:

• Center for Genetic Diseases
• Center for Cancer Cell Biology, Immunology and Infection
• Center for Proteomics and Molecular Therapeutics

Discovery at RFU is core to our educational mission and our scientists are dedicated to improving the health of all people through their outstanding medical research. The work being done in knowledge discovery and therapeutic developments reflects RFU’s vibrant culture of innovation and is not only impacting science it’s changing and saving the lives of people.

The addition of the new Innovation and Research Park will continue to inspire our researchers to deliver the benefits of medical discovery to the world and you can be a part of it by making a donation today.

From curing Usher syndrome and advancing new approaches to brain repair, to developing innovative treatments for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, your gift will help promising start-ups reach their potential, drive innovation at RFU, and improve the lives of those suffering from debilitating diseases.

RFU graciously welcomes gifts of any size. If you’d like to have a personal conversation about our range of giving opportunities, contact Pamela Lowe at pamela.lowe@rosalindfranklin.edu or 847.578.8786.