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Board of Trustees Visit to IRCB

12/12/2024


Board of Trustees Visit to IRCB

On November 20, 2024, Planning, Design & Construction (PD&C) hosted the FSU Board of Trustees (BOT) to tour the soon-to-be-completed Interdisciplinary Research and Commercialization Building (IRCB) project located on the corner of Levy Avenue and Engineering Way in the Innovation Park corridor led by PD&C Senior Project Manager Mary Jo Spector. In addition to the BOT, FSU President Dr. Richard McCullough, First Lady Dr. Jai Vartikar, Senior Vice President for Finance & Administration Kyle Clark, Vice President for Research Stacey Patterson, Dean of FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Dr. Suvanru De, representatives from the Provost's office, and other FSU stakeholders joined the tour.


Mary Jo expressed her excitement about the project's 11-year journey finally reaching its conclusion. She highlighted how the evolving nature of research is reflected in the buildings' design, which emphasizes flexibility and adaptability to the needs of their occupants. This approach is already being implemented in the university's new Department of Materials Science Engineering, and the Quantum Sciences area, which did not exist at the project's commencement.

Board of Trustees Visit to IRCB Board of Trustees Visit to IRCB


“The IRCB will increase FSU’s capacity for research in the new area of Quantum Science, the new department of Materials Science Engineering as well as allow the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering to add additional research faculty. The building will be a unique place for collaboration among different groups as well as facilitate commercialization opportunities with partners outside of FSU,” said Spector. “The support of the BOT throughout the project has let us get to this point and as we cross the finish line, we thank them whole heartedly.”


Collaboration with the future building occupants was integral to the project's success, and five research scientists, representatives from the project architect, HGA, and construction manager, Whiting-Turner, were present for the tour. The group toured the first and second floors of the building, including the research labs, collaboration areas, office space, and core labs. The project team expects IRCB to be substantially completed by January 2025 and to reach final completion by early March 2025. Upon its completion, this facility will enable FSU to significantly enhance collaborative research opportunities for both faculty and students in an innovative and transformative way.

Board of Trustees Visit to IRCB Board of Trustees Visit to IRCB