Plans to build a new facility for scientific research at Missouri S&T were unanimously approved today (Wednesday, Nov. 20) by the University of Missouri Board of Curators during the board’s meeting at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Missouri S&T’s largest capital project to date at $130 million, the Bioplex will support advanced research and education in life sciences, biomedicine and biomedical engineering. It will be funded by private gifts.

Construction will begin in October 2025 and is expected to be completed by June 2028.

“This new facility will showcase the university’s investment into advanced research facilities fitting of a Carnegie Level 1 research institution,” says Missouri S&T Chancellor Mo Dehghani. “The Bioplex will create an unmistakable impression of these critical programs for prospective students, researchers, industry partners and campus visitors. It will be a nexus for collaboration among researchers from multiple fields.”

The Bioplex will be the final building in the Havener Arrival Complex and will anchor the southern edge of the arrival court and complete the framed view of the Rolla Building at the new entry to S&T’s campus. The Bioplex will bookend the campus arrival area in balance with the Innovation Lab, Welcome Center (currently under construction) and Rolla Building.

The 128,000 gross-square-foot building will be a multidisciplinary life sciences research facility that will bring together top researchers, engineers and industry experts to create innovations in life sciences research.

“Existing campus facilities that support biotechnology, life science and bioengineering research are undersized, and operating at full capacity,” says Fred Stone, associate vice chancellor of facility planning and operations at Missouri S&T. “The Bioplex will make modern state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratory space available to students and faculty.”

The Bioplex will supplement and add capacity for existing programs housed within Bertelsmeyer Hall and Schrenk Hall.

Features will include:

• Space for 24 research teams, including wet bench research laboratories and support space
• Centralizing Missouri S&T’s Center for Biomedical Research and featuring advanced labs for imaging, genomics and histology
• A vivarium that meets Animal Biosafety Level 2 (ABSL-2) criteria for critical life science research
• Psychology research suite
• Three teaching labs
• One large classroom for lectures and conferences
• Three conference rooms for seminars and thesis defenses
• Sustainability in design: the building will be powered by a geothermal energy plant.

The Bioplex will provide a new home for S&T’s Center for Biomedical Research. The multidisciplinary research center focuses on new biomaterials, including devices, therapeutics, and other related biomedical topics.

“There is a growing demand for life science research programs,” says Dr. Stephen Roberts, chief strategy officer. “Missouri S&T has achieved a 15-fold increase in research funding from the Department of Health and Human Services and National Institutes of Health since 2019, from less than $300,000 to over $2.5 million in 2023, and it is projected to increase to $15 million by 2030.”

The Bioplex Steering Committee recommended Christner Architects of St. Louis, which will work with a signature national design firm, ZGF. The committee included representatives from the Linda and Bipin Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, biological sciences, chemistry, materials science and engineering, and psychological science departments.

To learn more about plans for S&T’s Bioplex, please visit masterplan.mst.edu/bioplex.