The University of New Hampshire is seeking $10 million in state funding to begin building new research laboratories to better prepare students for careers in regenerative medicine, bioengineering and other competitive growth industries.
Officials made their pitch Thursday as Republican Gov. Chris Sununu opened a hearing on the capital budget for fiscal years 2020 and 2021. Sununu said he would recommend spending no more than $120 million.
The University System of Hampshire wants $12 million in those years — $10 million for the labs and $2 million to renovate a building at Plymouth State University. It hopes to receive a total of $35 million in state funding over six years.
The governor said he supports the new research center because it is in keeping with his goal of funding projects that are flexible and reimagine the state's priorities and how it works.
"We've been working with the university system to find out what that partnership could look like, from the university side, the state side, the private side," Sununu said. "All the pieces are really critical, and this is coming together, working in synergy to get something ... that our workforce can grow with and can be the foundation."
The total cost of the research lab project is $86 million. Chris Clement, the university system's vice president for finance and administration, said the project could produce an additional 250 graduates per year in the science, technology, engineering and math fields. He said it would spur the creation of new companies and save existing companies money on recruiting.
Together with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, the university is part of the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute that opened earlier this year in Manchester. Led by inventor Dean Kamen, it will focus on developing transplant tissues and organs for injured American soldiers and other patients.
"We keep everything here, we build a funnel, we move everything forward," Clement said.
The university system was among 17 departments and agencies presenting requests Thursday. The current capital budget, approved a year ago, totals $262 million over two years, $125 million of which comes from the state's general fund. It included money for new court facilities, information technology projects, state park improvements and state prison upgrades.
--Holly Ramer, Associated Press
