From left Mark Jakubauskas and Jerry Whistler, both with the Kansas Biological Survey at KU, tour the geology wing of the Multidisciplinary Research Building with geology graduate student Vionette Dechoudens. A dedication and open house was held Monday at the new research facility on KU's West campus.

Jennifer Laurence’s laboratory space grew nearly five-fold when she moved into the Multidisciplinary Research Building on Kansas University’s west campus.

And Laurence said the pace of research also had picked up with more researchers able to work at the same time.

“There’s definitely been an incredible acceleration,” the assistant professor of pharmaceutical chemistry said.

Politicians, administrators and others gathered outside the $40 million building Monday for a formal dedication. The 106,000-square-foot facility opened late last year. Monday’s speakers included U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore and Donna Shank, president of the Kansas Board of Regents.

The building, commonly called MRB, was designed by Cannon Design of St. Louis and was built by J.E. Dunn of Kansas City, Mo.

With shared spaces and researchers coming from a variety of disciplines, it is being hailed by KU officials as a model research site for promoting collaboration and innovation.

“This is a new model for KU and it’s a new model for most universities,” said Jim Roberts, KU’s vice provost for research.

The three-story building can house up to 200 scientists, staff and students. It houses scientists from disciplines including geology, chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry and molecular biosciences.

Kristin Price, a graduate student in chemistry, said working in the building made it easy to connect with researchers from other fields.

“There’s a lot of talent to draw from, a lot of great minds to learn from,” she said.

The building is one of the latest construction projects on the ever-changing west campus.

The project was funded by bonds that will be paid off with operating funds from the KU Center for Research.

KU officials estimate they saved millions of dollars by having the Kansas University Endowment Association retain control over the construction process, rather than have the project go through the state.

They say the 15-month project could have taken 52 months had the Endowment Association not retained control.

“It does represent the very embodiment of our mission – to build a greater university than the state alone can build,” KU Endowment President Dale Seuferling said.