Palermo – June 20, 2019. Biomedical Research and Biotechnology Center becomes a reality.
The Board of Directors of the Ri.MED Foundation recently resolved the awarding of the contract for the construction of the Biomedical Research and Biotechnology Center (BRBC) to a temporary association of enterprises that includes Italiana Costruzioni S.p.A. (leading firm), Gemmo S.p.A. (principal), ISA S.p.A. (principal), and T.AM.CO. S.r.l., for a total amount of € 90.5 million.
The above association of enterprises ranked first in the official ranking of the restricted procedure. On June 3, during its last public session the Awarding Committee read the scores assigned to the technical improvements, opened the financial and temporal bids, and assigned the relevant scores. Adding up the three criteria (technical improvements, financial and temporal aspects), the Committee awarded the overall scores and drafted the final ranking, which was then read publicly.
The newly-established temporary association of enterprises, led by Italiana Costruzioni S.p.A., will therefore have the honor and responsibility to realize, within a period of 3 years, a major construction project of utmost importance in the history of Sicily and of the whole Mediterranean region. The 25,000-square-meter center will be built in Carini, Palermo, and will be key to turn Sicily into a translational “hub” for life sciences, guaranteeing the fast transferability of scientific results into clinical practice: a strategic role both from an economic point of view and for public health.
“The upcoming start of construction work of the Biomedical Research and Biotechnology Center (BRBC) of the Ri.MED Foundation is the result of the hard work of Italian and US authorities. The aim is to create a research hub to break new ground and create new health care products, and at the same time to attract and support businesses in this sector,” said Prof. Bruno Gridelli, Ri.MED Vice President and UPMC International Executive Vice President. “The social and economic impact is going to have profound effects both in Sicily and in the rest of Italy. Many Italian scientists will have the opportunity to remain in or return to their country of origin, and work in one of the world’s most advanced research centers.”
The BRBC executive project was designed by an association of companies led by Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum Inc., winner of the international design competition, and approved by the Sicilian Regional Commission for Public Works on October 12, 2016.