The final beam was placed Friday, Feb. 7, on the CORE (Center of Research Excellence) Building, located in the EDGE District west of UNMC.
The approximately 180,000-square-foot, $105 million building, which is owned by UNMC, will support computer-based research and wet lab-based research for faculty as well as external organizations. It is projected to open in mid-2026.
Click the Play button below to watch a video about the CORE Building.
“We are excited to complete this phase of the CORE building project,” said H. Dele Davies, UNMC interim chancellor. “As the EDGE District positions itself as a dynamic hub for health-focused scientific discovery and entrepreneurship, the CORE building will play an important role in these innovative efforts where our faculty, students and community members can test and develop new ideas and concepts. Our goal is to foster groundbreaking discoveries that thrive here in Nebraska, driving education, economic growth and advancements in health care.”
The CORE facility is poised to be a pivotal cornerstone in propelling innovative biomedical research. It will support lab-based research in critical areas (microbiology, physiology, pathology, genetics, life sciences, light chemistry), as well as computer-based research. The shelled research floors are designed to provide essential lab and office environments, promoting collaboration among startup founders, industry leaders, UNMC faculty, scientists and inventors at the EDGE District campus, all working toward a shared vision.
Furthermore, the CORE facility will house incubator lab space tailored for bioscience startups in discovery and development phases. This space will be outfitted with vital features and shared equipment to facilitate safe experimentation and expedite research endeavors.
“We really have been focusing on creating a reputation for innovation in Omaha and in Nebraska,” said Anne Barnes, interim vice president and chief financial officer for the University of Nebraska System. “This building will provide us enhanced research capabilities for UNMC, as well as offer space for the community, particularly for companies that are looking to lease research space.”
Ken Bayles, PhD, vice chancellor for research at UNMC, sees the building as a “front door” to display UNMC’s research and tech capabilities and invite innovators to Nebraska.
Despite outstanding research and biotechnology here, Omaha lacks a dedicated space where new startups can test their concepts and develop groundbreaking ideas with the sophisticated research support they need to succeed, Dr. Bayles said.
The vision for the CORE building, he said, is “a place where we stimulate the biotechnology industry in Nebraska.”
Students who are interested in the biotech industry, he said, don’t have as many options here in Nebraska, often heading to biotech hubs on the coast.
“The CORE Building, we hope, will reverse that trend.”
The 30-acre EDGE District will be a dynamic hub for health-focused scientific discovery, entrepreneurship and commercialization, as well as a premier destination within the city — a place where individuals want to work, live and experience vibrant entertainment.
Barnes said the CORE building is an important part of that effort.
Brain drain, she said, “is a significant thing we have to combat. The CORE building is a critical, foundational element to that.”
Dr. Bayles said: “I couldn’t be any more excited about the CORE building because it’s something that is meant to build on all the good work that we have been doing in research at UNMC for decades. We do a lot of this under the radar. And I think that the CORE Building provides us with an opportunity to really highlight some of the great research that’s going on here, right in our backyard in Omaha.”
UNMC owns much of the property of the triangle-shaped district, which is bordered roughly by Saddle Creek Road on the east; 48th Street on the west; Douglas Street on the north and Leavenworth on the south.
The CORE building is north of the Catalyst building, which is scheduled to open early this year. The 170,000-square-foot Catalyst, developed by Koelbel & Co. and GreenSlate Development, will be a hub for cutting-edge breakthroughs in digital health enterprise platforms, smart device technologies and related fields, offering a next-gen office environment, a dynamic event center and amenities, such as a coffee shop, restaurant, brewery and taproom.