Work Team Co-Chairs Bill Purcell, Harvard Business School Professor Peter Tufano ’79, and Graduate School of Design Professor Alex Krieger stressed the practicality and feasibility of the five-point recommendations.
“We think that these recommendations are practical, tangible, and viable,” Purcell said.
The recommendations suggest that the University shelve designs for the billion dollar mecca for stem cell research that would have been the Allston Science Complex and consider building a 500,000 to 700,000 square foot complex that would be devoted to global health research, imaging technology, and/or stem cell research.
The recommendations also suggest that Harvard undertake several constructions projects with other institutions, a process known as “co-development.” It is unclear, however, who exactly the University would partner with, but the Work Team recommendations sound an optimistic note about interest from local biotech firms.
“Co-development will be a very important part of what is ahead,” Purcell said.
One such project would be the development of an innovation and enterprise research center on Harvard’s 36-acre Allston Landing North, which is located off of Western Ave.
The campus “would serve as a dynamic center for health and life sciences innovation that would attract research companies, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and biotech companies,” according to the report. Harvard would sign long term leases with private businesses and organizations to defray the costs of the University’s development in Allston.
Inspired by such centers at other universities like Stanford, the Work Team suggested the creation of a campus that would be a mix of faculty research facilities and private-sector businesses.
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