We had a lovely ceremony Friday to mark the official groundbreaking of UVA's new Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology. Gov. Glenn Youngkin joined state and university leaders, as well as the Mannings, to commemorate a major milestone for UVA, one that will position us at the very forefront of cutting-edge medicine.
The new, 350,000-square-foot facility at Fontaine Research Park will become the nerve center for biotechnology research, development and manufacturing at UVA. The institute will focus on cutting-edge areas of medical research such as cellular therapy, gene therapy, nanotechnology and drug delivery. These are areas that are already strengths for UVA, and they have the potential to better treat or cure a vast array of diseases, including those for which there are now no good treatment options.
The four-story biotech building will include high-tech research facilities, state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities and welcoming patient-care space, all brought together under one environmentally friendly roof.
The new biotechnology institute is made possible, in large part, by a generous $100 million gift from its namesake donors, philanthropists Paul and Diane Manning. In addition, the General Assembly agreed to contribute $50 million, and Gov. Youngkin announced during his speech Friday that he will request an additional $50 million investment in his upcoming budget.
During the event, many people rightly recognized Mr. Manning and his wife for their generous donation, but Mr. Manning graciously pointed to UVA's outstanding scientists and researchers as the catalyst for his donation. We very much appreciate his faith in their work, and I'm excited to see how the new biotechnology institute transforms healthcare across Virginia and beyond.