The new Centre for Molecular Innovation & Drug Discovery (CMIDD) project accommodates the School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology; Biopharma Program; Bionanoscience Program; and Food and Health Institute; as well as additional space for research growth, teaching and communal areas in the west end of the building.

The project provides flexible and multidisciplinary laboratory spaces that easily adapt to changes in equipment technology, and the growth and contraction of the research neighborhoods that occupy them as needs and research funding evolve. Common core facilities serve as “data exchange nodes” to promote collaboration and informal interaction among the various disciplines. The building consists of intensive laboratory research, research support and offices; including accommodation for 275 primary laboratory stations, 44 individual offices and 220 open plan offices.

Chemistry research and teaching form a large part of the UCD Centre for Molecular Innovation & Drug Discovery project. Diverse user groups including Biopharma, Food Science and Bionanoscience all have a chemistry research component, but the core chemistry user groups are Biopharma and the Physical Chemists. The Biopharma floor provides 68 synthetic workstations and 12 biology workstations, some integrated in the same lab module for interdisciplinary research. Physical Chemistry includes new shared core technology instrument labs as well as research space with high electrical and piped service distribution at benches and overhead. These spaces are designed to accommodate future nanoscience and optical research by anticipating compatible building system design for low-vibration and low-electromagnetic environments.

Ten new teaching labs are located adjacent to the research floor and support undergraduate instruction in Introductory, Synthetic and Physical Chemistry. The unique layout of the introductory labs allow the rooms to be used, in addition to the wet chemistry work on the perimeter, as a small classroom for instructor-focused presentation. All teaching is supported by associated prep labs, classrooms and breakout spaces for small groups.