The CIIT Operating Board today approved a capital plan to nearly double the Institute's bench laboratory facilities and to expand and update technology. The changes will begin this fiscal year and proceed in two phases.
"This is a strong endorsement of our vision to become one of the elite environmental health science institutes," said CIIT President William F. Greenlee, who took over leadership of the Institute last August. "We are embarking on an exciting new phase of significant research growth."
CIIT is an independent human health research institute that studies the biological effects of chemicals. Its traditional focus has been on cancer; endocrine, reproductive and developmental effects; respiratory toxicology; neurotoxicology; and risk assessment. It is currently moving into genomics and developing an emphasis on children's health. It is recruiting lead scientists and has plans to expand its research staff over the next five years.
"If we hope to attract world class scientists, we need to have facilities to allow them to advance their work," said CIIT Operating Board Chair Eugene Ervin in supporting the plan. Ervin is Corporate Director, Environment, Health & Safety, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
The move comes as part of an overall plan to expand the scope of CIIT research and the formalization of a research alliance with the Chemical Manufacturers Association. The chemical industry's Long-Range Research Initiative is a comprehensive health and safety research program administered by the CMA, with a five-year budget of $100 million. CIIT will be conducting a good portion of that research.
CIIT's capital plan calls for using existing funds along with proceeds from the sale of land in Research Triangle Park to buy state-of-the-art equipment and to renovate existing areas within the Institute's 110-thousand square foot headquarters. The total cost will be $5 million. CIIT has a total annual budget of just over $18 million.
Greenlee's long-term plan is to expand the Institute through external funding that would complement the chemical industry's core support. CIIT scientists will be competing for research grants and funding from government, corporate, and other sources. A five-year goal is to add 50 research staff members and increase external funding by $9 million.
CIIT, one of the oldest research organizations in Research Triangle Park, was founded in 1974 by eleven major chemical companies. Its research is conducted in collaboration with scientists from academia, industry, and government, and its findings are published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Contact: Bob Nellis
nellis@ciit.org
919-558-1310