Wichita Biomedical Campus receives additional $15 million in funding
May 17, 2023
By WSU Strategic Communications
Contact for News Reporters: Lainie Mazzullo-Hart, director of communication, 316-978-3409 or lainie.mazzullo@wichita.edu.
The planned Wichita Biomedical Campus — a joint initiative by Wichita State University,
WSU Tech and University of Kansas — is one step closer to its funding goal thanks
to a $15 million award from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services
(KDADS), made available through the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK)
Executive Committee and State Finance Council.
The new funding is in addition to $190 million awarded by the Kansas Legislature —
one of the most significant investments ever in the Wichita region— bringing the total
so far to $205 million of the $300 million needed to begin construction of the 471,000-square-foot
facility. WSU, WSU Tech and KU will continue to explore all avenues of funding including
federal, state, local and private funding to complete the project.
This latest award, and other funding received, will allow us to begin the initial
phase of construction in early 2024, with a targeted completion date of fall 2026.
The Wichita Biomedical Campus will be a joint health sciences center located in the
heart of Wichita that will centralize health care education, collaboration and research.
Students will receive state-of-the-art education that will improve the quality of
health and health care outcomes for all Kansans. To start with, about 3,000 students
and 200 faculty and staff will be housed at the center, with opportunities for growth
in new and existing programs.
“We’re grateful for this grant from the Department of Aging and the overall growing
support for such an important initiative for our region,” said Wichita State President
Rick Muma. “The Wichita Biomedical Campus will revolutionize health education, improve
health outcomes for patients, and solidify Wichita’s place as a health care hub for
southcentral Kansas.”
Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling
almost 22,000 students between its main campus and WSU Tech, including students from
every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are
recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in
the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM),
Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of
applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one
of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing
over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
