History

On October 24, 2013, Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab joined with Weill Cornell Medical College Dean Laurie H. Glimcher to announce an innovative partnership between the two institutions for collaborative research. The agreement, in which Hunter purchased the fourth floor of the new Belfer Research Building, extends Hunter's and Weill Cornell's fruitful history of public-private partnership and their collaboration on cutting-edge research and training and expanding the Upper East Side Medical Research Corridor as a growing powerhouse in the biomedical research sector.

The 480,000-square-foot building is located at 69th Street and York Avenue, on the Weill Cornell campus, just across the street from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), as well as Rockefeller University, and in the neighborhood of Hunter's and MSKCC's future science and health professions buildings' site, and is devoted to translational bench-to-bedside research targeting some of the most formidable health challenges of the 21st century, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, children's health, global health and infectious diseases. Its proximity to the adjacent Weill Greenberg Center, the medical college's flagship ambulatory care center at 1305 York Avenue at 70th Street, ensures that breakthroughs made in the laboratory can be quickly and seamlessly applied to patient care as improved treatments and therapies in the clinic. The Belfer Research Building will also serve as a nucleus where physician-scientists, educators, students and researchers from Weill Cornell and around the globe can collaborate on the latest discoveries and research breakthroughs.

The Belfer Research Building includes 13 floors of laboratories equipped with the most advanced research technology. Its open floor plan and thematic orientation is designed to break down research silos and foster cross-disciplinary collaboration among Weill Cornell's premier scientists, transforming the paradigm for high-impact translational research. Scientists from multidisciplinary translational research centers and institutes focused on precision medicine, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and the molecular underpinnings of cancer will investigate alongside one another to encourage unconventional partnerships. This new research standard will empower Weill Cornell's world-class scientists and attract additional top-tier talent to the medical college. All Hunter scientists have now moved into the Belfer building as of the end of February.