Pacific Regional Biosafety Lab
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The proposed PacRBL Site is shown in the yellow outline, next to the JABSOM physical plant
Plans are being developed to construct the Pacific Regional Biosafety Laboratory (PacRBL) in Kaka`ako, on the grounds of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). The PacRBL will be part of JABSOM’s Asia-Pacific Institute of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases (APITMID) and be a vital addition to the life sciences community planned for Kaka`ako.
This project has been in development for several years, dating back to December 2004, when the University of Hawaii at Manoa, in partnership with Hawaii Biotech, the Department of Defense, the State Department of Health, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the Hawaii Science & Technology Council, and Enterprise Honolulu, submitted a grant proposal to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for $25 million to construct PacRBL. $12.5 million in state matching funds was also pledged.
On September 15, 2005, NIH announced the grant award to the University of Hawaii, but the original proposed site on Waimano Ridge next to the State Dept. of Health laboratory required substantial infrastructure improvements before the PacRBL could be built. This made the Waimano Ridge site too costly, and the university assessed alternative sites and determined that JABSOM campus in Kaka`ako was best.
In the spring of 2006, a revised application was submitted to the NIH for approval to change the site to Kaka`ako. Approval was given for the move in July of that year.
The delay in the project’s initiation coincided with a boom in the construction industry locally and nationally, and project plans required substantial revision to accommodate significant increases in construction costs. Recognizing this, the NIH provided an additional $7.5 million in September, 2007 which will be matched by an additional $2.5 million in local funds. Further work is needed to design the PacRBL to the standards required by the NIH within the construction budget. The timeline is to initiate planning and design efforts during mid 2008, with construction to be completed in 2011. Environmental review began in early 2008 and will continue throughout the year. Public input efforts will be conducted throughout the planning, design and construction efforts.
For general information contact:
Tina Shelton, Director of Public Affairs, John A. Burns School of Medicine. Ph: (808) 692-0897
For research and scientific information about the PacRBL lab contact:
Dr. Duane Gubler, PacRBL Director. Ph: (808) 692-1606
For construction, design or environmental assessment related information contact:
Keith Mattson, PacRBL Project Manager. Ph: (808) 956-6985