Kansas University on Thursday received the go-ahead to begin construction on the third and final phase of its west campus Structural Biology Center.

The Kansas Board of Regents approved the project at its regular meeting. The 45,000-square-foot addition, costing $20 million, will be added to the west side of the existing building. Construction is expected to begin this spring for an April 2007 opening.

It will be financed entirely through bonds issued by the Kansas Development Finance Authority and funded by the KU Center for Research, a nonprofit foundation.

In other business, the regents approved KU’s development of a doctoral program in architecture.