This application for NIH ARRA funds seeks to expand, improve, and consolidate space for laboratories, lab support, training, and related administration on the entire 23rd floor of the Annenberg Tower (Ann-23). The proposed project will support translational research at Mount Sinai School of Medicine by fully renovating Ann- 23, to improve functionality of laboratories, lab support, and administrative space. The requested renovations will affect 18,621 net square feet (29,500 gross square feet) and increase active research space from the current 57% of the floor to 73%. The floor currently supports $3.2 million in active grants. Immediate benefits of the proposed renovations will include relocation of peers and collaborators to the floor bringing an additional $1 million in active grants (total $4.2 million). Based on MSSM's current research-density benchmarks, the lab space created by the proposed improvements can support a projected additional $0.5 million in future research funding.
The specific aims for this project are: o Expand laboratory space to accommodate ongoing growth of the research enterprise. o Redistribute functions so that ratio of lab, support, and office areas is in line with current standards. o Consolidate multi-disciplined programs to contiguous open lab space to improve safety, communication, administration, and training. o Expand BSL2+ core facility. o Support other program expansion in backfill spaces. Ann-23 is currently home to more than 85 staff, including PIs, postdocs, research fellows, research coordinators, administrative and other support staff. After the proposed improvements administrative space will be relocated to other floors resulting in an additional 42 research staff (127 people total) working on the floor. By consolidating, streamlining, and expanding laboratory space, the proposed project will enable Mount Sinai to strengthen the collaborations already under way by co-location of investigators working together on projects, and serve as a catalyst for new collaborations and joint programs, particularly in HIV-associated nephropathy, which is a shared focus of all the researchers to be housed on the floor.
