Global Animal Health Building
Phase I (CVM, School for Global Animal Health)
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WSU suggests $10
million in stimulus funding would match the $25 million Gates Foundation gift
to accelerate construction of a $35
million Global Animal Health Phase I facility for WSU’s College of Veterinary
Medicine. With early funding, initial construction on the 22,840-square foot
building could begin in April, 2009.
The proposed
facility addresses WSU strategic priorities and supports the activities of the
Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Animal Health Research Center,
Safe Food Initiative, Unified Agriculture Initiative, and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture Animal Disease Research Unit within the College of Veterinary
Medicine. This facility will allow
WSU to:
•
addresses multiple state priorities of government relating
to “health, security, economic vitality,
safety, and natural resources” (OFM Priorities of Government)
•
directly assist the mission of the State Department of
Health to protect Washington State citizens from diseases transmitted from
animals to humans (for example, bird flu, West Nile Virus, Salmonella and other
agents potentially found as contaminants to our food supply).
Timely project
completion will also enable the State of Washington, WSU, and the College of
Veterinary Medicine to meet stakeholder expectations for
•
infectious disease surveillance to protect our people and
our animals
•
rapid response to high-risk disease outbreaks
•
meeting international laboratory accreditation standards
required for participation in disease surveillance and emergency response
programs, and
•
teaching and enhanced research collaboration involving
rapid diagnostic testing and
vaccine development
History of the Project in the State Legislature:
This request arises from an update to a previously-requested capital project
developed as part of a comprehensive plan to meet the long-term space needs of
the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine.
The original project was a combined research and diagnostics facility
called the Animal Disease Research
and Biocontainment Facility.
Subsequently, a $25 million challenge grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation was received for the research component of this facility (now termed
Global Animal Health Building Phase I).
The Gates grant requires a matching commitment of $10 million to fully fund the
$35M Phase I project; thus, the requested $10 million state investment
immediately leverages a $35 million project that can put people to work this
year
This reduced
the overall state cost for construction of the combined facility (the remaining
diagnostics and
surveillance component has been also
been updated as a wholly state-funded project termed
Global Animal Health Building – Phase II.
This project was funded for pre-design in the governor’s 2009-2011 capital
construction budget.)
Why would the state want to contribute the $10 million
match? Not only will the $10 million stimulus
investment leverage an immediate $35 million construction project, as the
centerpiece for the newly created School for Global Animal Health (www.globalhealth.wsu.edu)
this project will also provide long-term economic benefits through increased
research and development activities.
The
School for Global Animal Health is unique among North American institutions of
higher education with its mission to
“provide innovative solutions to global infectious disease challenges through
research, education, global outreach, and application of disease control at the
animal-human interface”.
No other university has taken such a bold step to address some of the most
significant health issues worldwide through intervention at the animal/human
interface. Through the School, WSU
will leverage the current preeminence of global health in the State of
Washington to enhance alliances that truly make our state the global leader in
this area, leading to significant economic benefit locally as well.
The
potential for long-term economic benefit is further leveraged through
partnerships with the University of Washington, Fred Hutchison Cancer Research
Center, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, Infectious Disease Research
institute, PATH, and PNNL – all members of both the Global Health Alliance and
Washington Vaccine Alliance. Little
of this long-term benefit can accrue, however, until the Phase I Global Animal
Health Building is completed.
For more information: Larry Ganders, Assistant to the President,
360-280-6320
