The Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science plans to expand its partnership with the University of Missouri via a $20 million grant that will be used to establish a new radioisotope science center.
The grant funding will be combined with a matching $20 million award from the State of Missouri that will support a new center at Discovery Ridge in Columbia that will not only "accelerate the research, production, processing, and distribution of critical radioisotopes," but also "enhance and ensure a reliable, U.S.-based supply of strategic radioisotopes supporting national security applications, enable translational research for clinical applications, enhance U.S. competitiveness in nuclear medicine, and drive key advances in scientific research," the DOE said.
The 33,500-square-foot Radioisotope Science Center (RSC) will be used for research, development, and production of radioisotopes produced at Missouri University Research Reactor (MURR) and DOE reactors. These radioisotopes will then be distributed through the DOE's Isotope R&D and Production (IRP) National Isotope Development Center to support research and commerce, according to the DOE.
The center is expected to be completed in early 2029.
