Ancora L&G Opens Rhode Island Public Health Lab and Life Sciences Center

Ancora L&G opened a $165 million life sciences center in October of 2025 in Providence, Rhode Island. Located in the city’s I-95 innovation district, the 212,000-sf building accommodates 80,000 sf of world-class research space owned by and dedicated to the Rhode Island Department of Health. Occupying the entirety of the second and third levels, the health lab features BSL-3 suites to enable the rapid detection and mitigation of infectious disease agents, and is equipped with the latest technologies for environmental, forensic, chemical, and biological testing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided $81.7 million in funding for the seven-story project, which includes a 2,700-sf core lab for genomic sequencing called the Center for Biological Sciences. 

Brown University is also a tenant, and is supplying nearly 30,000 sf of wet lab and office settings to Ocean State Labs, the state’s first commercial life sciences incubator. Managed by Portal Innovations, the leading-edge hub provides critical infrastructure for up to 30 biomedical startups, and fosters collaboration with local institutions to accelerate the commercialization of discoveries in biotechnology, health, and medicine. On the uppermost three levels, The PVD Labs offers 90,000 sf of leasable R&D space for private companies.

HOK provided architectural, programming, lab planning, structural engineering, and façade consulting services for the public-private project. Dimeo Construction Company broke ground on the center in October of 2022, and Ocean State Labs is expected to begin operations in early 2026. Ancora L&G is a joint venture between Ancora and Legal & General Capital.