The $1B project still needs lawmakers to approve $100M in bonds, an investment its new director says will bring together the whole state.
Patrick Phillips
The University of Oregon will break ground on the $1 billion Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact this fall —made possible by a $500 million donation from the Knights — and the labs, classrooms, prototyping space and other core facilities will be the foundation for new scientific activities that will transform research at the university. As a biologist who has spent nearly 20 years at the university, I am excited and energized to have the facilities and resources needed to turn scientific discoveries into treatments, products and innovations that benefit all of society.
But UO cannot do it alone. For the first phase of the project, we have asked state lawmakers to partner by providing $100 million in bonds for construction of one of the buildings. No tuition dollars or state funding are needed for the ongoing operations and activities supported by the buildings, so the state’s initial investment will be matched better than 10 to one. You only get one chance to lay the foundation for something with lasting impact, which is why we are seeking the state’s partnership at this early stage.