The University of Arizona (U of A) has stopped construction of an estimated $300m biomedical research hub in downtown Phoenix as the Trump administration slashes university funding.
Planned since 2022, the Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies (CAMI) was meant to develop precision therapies that stimulate or suppress the immune system to fight cancers, infectious diseases and autoimmune conditions. Officials said it would be research hub of national significance.
Work on the 200,000-sq-ft, seven-storey building started at the end of October last year. It was to house laboratories, a clinical suite, and administrative and meeting spaces. At the time, it was expected to be finished in 2027.
But the university’s chief operating officer John Arnold said in a statement to GCR that work has been paused “due to the changing federal funding landscape”.
“While we remain committed to our research at the Phoenix Bioscience Core, we need to pause and reassess CAMI given the uncertainties,” Arnold said.
The Trump administration’s funding freeze, led by Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency”, has resulted in the firing of thousands of federal employees and billions of dollars in research grants being cancelled, Scientific American reports.
“With annual fixed costs associated with U of A buildings and utilities that cannot be eliminated, reductions in research funding will impact all facets of the university’s operations,” the U of A statement said.
- Subscribe here to get stories about construction around the world in your inbox three times a week
