The effort is being funded by a voter-approved state investment of $200 million and a private $300 million fund-raising effort. Another piece of the plan includes a new patient care facility adjacent to OHSU Hospital that will break ground later this fall. "Before you can recruit top-notch scientists and before you can treat more patients you need the buildings to put them in," said OHSU President Peter O. Kohler, M.D., in announcing the news.

The new biomedical research building will house a pediatric research center, an advanced imaging research center and 192,000 sf of research laboratories. One of the unique functional features will be a physical linkage between the new Biomedical Research Building and the Outpatient Clinic.

Hoffman Construction and Andersen Construction, both headquartered in Oregon, have formed a joint venture to construct the two buildings. The projects will take between 28 and 36 months to complete.