A Harvard task force will recommend today that future Allston development be anchored around two science complexes of 500,000 square feet each, in which faculty from different fields will work collaboratively on several broad areas of interdisciplinary research.
In the much-delayed report, released today, the Allston Task Force on Science and Technology set forth for the first time the science initiatives which will constitute the first wave of projects to move across the river.
The report, which was obtained by The Crimson yesterday, did not address details about the time frame, potential cost and infrastructure of the Allston development.
The interdisciplinary programs chosen for development in Allston have been in the works since the task force’s initial call for proposals in Jan. 2004.
“The first science building will have the stem cell project, chemical biology and systems biology and some portion of engineering,” said University Provost Steven E. Hyman, who chaired the task force, yesterday.
The chemical biology project will coordinate Harvard’s current efforts in applying small molecule chemistry to larger biological systems. The systems biology initiative will bring together biologists with computer scientists, engineers and mathematicians.
The Stem Cell Institute, an initiative led by Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences Douglas Melton and established last year, does not currently have its own facilities. It also will be given space in Allston to accommodate all researchers under one roof.
The task force chose only a handful of projects for the first wave of development in Allston from among 17 faculty proposals.
“This is not to say that all of these initiatives had detailed strategic plans, budgets, and staffing plans but rather that they were intellectually well-defined...” the report stated.
Although much of the intellectual groundwork towards Allston development has been completed, Hyman stresses that many details remain to be worked out.
The report states that the task force still does not know where and when buildings will be built in Allston, and Hyman said he could not give a time frame for the development.
“The planning process to think about the first building depends very much on our conversations with the Allston neighbors, the city and the mayor especially, but we are hoping to have more details on this in the fall,” Hyman said.
Task force member Eric Buehrens, executive dean for administration at Harvard Medical School (HMS), said that the cost of the project will vary based on “how you do your accounting.”
“It’s potentially going to cost a lot of money. Whether it’s billions or hundreds of millions will depend on how you look at it,” Buehrens said.
The total cost to the University will depend on whether the figure includes all of the physical infrastructure required to support the new campus and the execution of new educational and research programs.
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