Cancer Center Receives $140M in State Funds

HONOLULU — A new University of Hawaii Cancer Center currently under construction has received an infusion of $140 million in state funds.
 
Expected to open in early 2013, the $120 million, 150,000-square-foot cancer center, previously known as the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, will provide laboratory and office space for more than 300 research faculty and staff at the university. The six-story building will be constructed adjacent to UH Manoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine in the Honolulu district of Kakaako.
 
Gov. Linda Lingle says the jobs the construction project will create come at an opportune time for the local community and economy.
 
“As someone who has been touched by cancer, like so many women and men throughout our state, I recognize the importance of having a world-class cancer center that will provide increased opportunities to conduct groundbreaking cancer research, while helping to improve the overall quality of healthcare for our residents,” Lingle says.
 
Just less than a year ago, Hawaii released $28 million to fund the planning and design of the project. Honolulu-based real estate developer Kobayashi Group is overseeing the design and construction of the cancer center.