Industry News

Monsanto broke ground on its $6 million Learning Center in Gothenburg, Neb., in July of 2008. The 25,000-sf facility will support agricultural implementation of Monsanto’s grain hybrids. The project includes expansion of the company’s existing Gothenburg research facility and the creation of test plots. Completion is slated for April of 2009. 

Aspen Aerogels opened a $30 million manufacturing and production facility in East Providence, R.I., in July of 2008. The 150,000-sf project will be followed by two additional expansion phases at the East Providence campus. Aspen Aerogels, headquartered in Northborough, Mass., is a maker of aerogel thermal insulation products used in military and industry applications and hydrocarbon technologies.

Dow Water Solutions, part of The Dow Chemical Company, will construct the Water Technology Development Center in Tarragona, Spain. The $15 million facility will support research and development for Dow's membrane, ultrafiltration, and desalination technologies to create sustainable water supplies. The center is slated for occupancy by year-end 2009 and will house 25 researchers. Acciona Agua will design and build the facility.

The University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville will break ground on the $26 million West Pavilion cardiovascular facility on July 24, 2008. The four-story tower will house inpatient care for the hospital’s Heart Lung Vascular Institute. The project will include endoscopy labs, an expanded medical library, patient conference center, and lobby. The tower will connect to existing surgical suites and cardiac catheterization labs. Completion is slated for early 2010.

The Hunan Provincial Government is partnering with Microbix Biosystems to construct an influenza vaccine manufacturing complex in the Hunan Liuyang Biomedical Industrial Park in China. The $200-million jointly-owned project, one of the largest flu vaccine production facilities worldwide, will be managed by Microbix and will utilize the company’s VIRUSMAX technology.