Money to support the ventures comes from venture capital. University of Michigan Cancer Center Michigan Cancer Center is considered by many to be a prime example of translational environment and on paper it appears to have all the elements of such facility. Key challenge for us is to ensure such concepts are transferred into practice. Opened in 1997, a nine-story facility is dedicated to performing both basic science and clinical research. Lower floors are designated for ambulatory care, upper floors for research, with middle floor forming combined administrative services.
Space is designed to be flexible.
Each floor is designed into four quadrants with modular areas that can be opened for combined laboratory space. However, curiously enough not much space has been actually opened. A small building footprint hinders space. Numerous policies for space allocation are on the books, but not followed in practice. Space allocation is politically motivated and once captured, no system exists for future review.