Virginia Tech and Carilion have broken ground on a new biomedical research building in Roanoke, Virginia.

The building, dubbed the Virginia Tech Carilion Biomedical Research Expansion, is estimated to cost $90m. It will cover an area of 139,000 gross sq ft and will be linked to the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute by an elevated walkway.

The new facility, expected to open in early 2020, will feature modern research laboratories organised around interactive research themes.

Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe said: “This new facility will allow scientists and clinicians to intersect and exchange ideas that will provide tremendous benefits to the people of Virginia and the world.

“We are building a foundation that will establish Virginia as a hotbed for cutting-edge companies that want to benefit from a world-class business environment and a highly trained technical workforce.”