Home » Kentucky legislators OK funding for new UK research facility

Kentucky legislators OK funding for new UK research facility

Will focus on studying preventable diseases

FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 3, 2015) — The Kentucky Senate Tuesday overwhelmingly endorsed funding for a multi-disciplinary research facility at the University of Kentucky that will specifically focus on health disparities confronting the commonwealth.

uk_healthcareUnder the legislation, which now goes to the desk of Gov. Steve Beshear, the state will fund $132.5 million of the cost of constructing the $265 million facility. UK will fund the other half through research contracts and private fundraising.

The building, which would be located near UK’s bio-pharm and biological biomedical research buildings, would put together researchers across disciplines, working in teams, to address some of the state’s most intractable issues. If approved, UK will work to begin construction by the end of the year.

The health challenges the facility and researchers will address include the hundreds of deaths that occur in Kentucky each year due to cancer, heart and pulmonary disease, stroke and other preventable illnesses. Those health maladies are particularly acute in Eastern Kentucky.