MDI Bio Lab training lab slated to open in March 2017

Photo Courtesy / Rogier van Bakel, eareyephoto.com A group of young scientists study at a special summer seminar on aging at the MDI Biological Laboratory. The students will be studying at the in-the-works training lab.

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By Staff

The Bar Harbor-based MDI Biological Laboratory held a groundbreaking ceremony on July 29 for a new 6,560-square-foot training lab.

According to the MDI Bio Lab, the two-story training facility will double the laboratory’s capacity to provide hands-on training for students and teachers in biomedical research and also be home to a 2,476-square-foot training laboratory on the first floor, as well as classroom and meeting space on the second floor.

“We have an impressive track record for delivering the kind of hands-on research training that is essential for growing Maine’s biotechnology economy,” Kevin Strange, MDI Bio Lab president, said at the groundbreaking ceremony, which was attended by approximately 115 elected officials, community leaders, students, staff and trustees. “Since 2001, our programs have provided training to more than 2,100 Maine students. The new laboratory will allow us to continue to build the state’s biomedical workforce and strengthen our research and development sector.”

The new lab is funded by a $3 million state bond passed by Maine voters in 2014 to bolster Maine’s biotechnology sector. That funding is being matched by $5.7 million in public and private funds to cover the recruitment of three new biomedical research teams, according to lab officials.

Construction of the building is expected to be finished by mid-March of 2017, according to lab officials.