Photo / Courtesy Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
The Harold Alfond Foundation contributed $8 million for the expansion, which represents a 40% increase in Bigelow’s campus and includes a multipurpose forum.
Updated: 7 min ago
Bigelow Lab’s $31M Harold Alfond Center for Ocean Education will open in June
Photo / Courtesy Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
Bigelow Laboratory named its 25,000-square-foot expansion in honor of Harold Alfond.
Bigelow Laboratory’s 25,000-square-foot addition, scheduled to open in June, has been named for the project’s largest private donor.
An $8 million gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation, led by Greg Powell, was essential to breaking ground on the $31 million addition, which is expected to broaden the lab’s business innovation, applied research and education programs.
The Harold Alfond Center for Ocean Education and Innovation constitutes a 40% increase in the East Boothbay laboratory’s footprint, providing space to accommodate a growing staff and a growing portfolio of research, according to a news release.
A ribbon-cutting is scheduled for June 26.
Bigelow is an independent, nonprofit research institute with a focus on the foundation of global ocean health.
Kickstarter grants
The expansion includes dedicated, high-tech teaching labs and classrooms so more students, scientists and resource managers can benefit from the institute’s educational and professional development programs.
Labs will accommodate several new research groups, while newly endowed funds will provide grants to explore early-stage ideas.
The expansion includes a 300-seat forum that will serve as a hub for international scientific collaboration and community education.
The current facility has three research wings, with no teaching labs and only one classroom.
U.S.-made materials
Bigelow’s current campus was the first scientific research laboratory in Maine to achieve LEED Platinum status, according to the release.
The addition was built in compliance with the Build America Buy America Act, federal legislation enacted in 2021 that prioritizes U.S.-made materials.
In addition to the Harold Alfond Foundation, the project relied on a total of $13 million in other philanthropic gifts as well as a $12 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The total includes a $2 million maintenance endowment contributed by an anonymous donor, which will permanently support capital repairs and equipment replacement.
PHOTO / TIM GREENWAY
Deborah Bronk
“We’re so grateful to everyone who made this possible, from the Harold Alfond Foundation and individual donors to lawmakers and our local community,” said Deborah Bronk, Bigelow’s president and CEO and a 2025 Mainebiz Business Leader of the Year.
“It’s a reminder of what’s possible when we work together. This new space will be infused with that spirit while we use it as a gathering space, a nexus for marine science and a launch pad for bold and urgent innovation.”
Mainebiz web partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments