University of Hawaii Wants To Close Major Research Group
04/08/2011
Courtesy of Tricia Murata
A biosciences research unit at the University of Hawaii that has been an incubator for major medical centers on campus could be shuttered.
The Pacific Biosciences Research Center (PBRC) spawned major UH institutions, including the John A. Burns School of Medicine and the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii. The New York Times last month featured work being done at PBRC's Kewalo Marine Lab.
The center brings in $6 million in competitive federal research grants, but that money doesn't cover all of the center's costs. Paying for PRBC's 30 permanent faculty and staff and keeping the center running costs the university about $3 million a year. The main reason UH officials say they want to close the center is that it does a lot of the same research as other departments.
