$25M science and engineering lab OK’d for IUPUI

A $25 million science and engineering lab for Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis could be a key selling
point for the school as it seeks to attract top academic researchers.

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education on Friday approved the project, which will be built at the core of the downtown
campus. School officials hope those researchers will in turn attract big grants.

"We need to have the lab spaces to get the best faculty," Tom Morrison, vice president of capital projects and
facilities for Indiana University, told The Indianapolis Star. "And our faculty has to be productive."

Construction will begin in January on the building that will house the biomedical engineering, psychobiology and renewable-energy
research programs. It's scheduled for completion by July 2012.

The building also will have a mix of labs, meeting spaces and offices to be shared by IU and Purdue programs.

The project isn't allowed to use state appropriations and student tuition dollars. Its funding is based on the promise
of new research grants, and a state law allows it to take on debt without legislative approval.

IUPUI plans to issue bonds for $17 million for the project, which will be paid back using future research grants. Earlier
grants will supply $1 million. Another $7 million will come from last year's commercialization of a learning research
system.

Higher Education Commissioner Teresa Lubbers said the financing plan is a big win for the state. The funding is under a 6-year-old
state law that applies to the state's three research campuses.

"It made sense in this circumstance," Lubbers said. "And it makes sense for the state, too."