The Florida State University (FSU) in the US has broken ground on the $88m research facility to support researchers focused on creating and advancing new materials.

The Interdisciplinary Research and Commercialization Building is being built on the corner of Levy Avenue and Engineering Way in the Innovation Park corridor.

The new 116,000-ft2 facility is backed by funding from the Florida Legislature and FSU Research Foundation.

An addition to the university’s southwest campus, the new building will comprise laboratories, core facilities and strategically placed collaboration spaces.

Additionally, the three floors of the new facility will mostly feature labs.

These labs will be designed to accommodate up to 30 research groups, 24 postdoctoral researchers and 155 graduate and undergraduate students.

FSU Research Foundation board member Ricardo Schneider said that the IRCB is expected to complement the other facilities and companies in the area.

“Scientists and engineers want to find solutions to problems and to create. With the IRCB, FSU is creating a place for that problem solving and creativity.”

The university is working with the HGA, an architecture firm, on the new building that is slated for opening in 2024.

Some of the FSU buildings in the southwest campus include the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, and the High-Performance Materials Institute.

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Rendering of the Interdisciplinary Research and Commercialization Building. Credit: Florida State University.