87 



Dynamic changes in biomedical research and clinical care have led to an ambitious 

 program of new construction and renovation on the NIH campus since the 

 mid-1970's. For example: expansion of the computer center was completed in 1979; A 

 program to upgrade NIH animal facilities was initiated in 1986; and, construction of a 

 state-of-the art laboratory facility to consolidate Child Health and Neurosciences re- 

 search programs was completed in 1993. 



One of the most comprehensive programs undertaken by NIH to address infra- 

 structure deficiencies was initiated in 1981. The Round Robin Program was designed 

 to renovate six of the oldest laboratory buildings on campus. To date, three buildings 

 have been renovated at a cost of approximately $45 million. 



In addition, NIH is currently implementing a $200 million Infrastructure Mod- 

 ernization Program to upgrade site utilities that have suffered from years of neglect. 



Despite these efforts, much remains to be done to improve the condition of NIH's 

 intramural research facilities. 



STATE OF THE CAMPUS 



More than half of the research buildings on the NIH campus, however, are from 

 30 - 50 years old. These buildings are deficient in meeting current standards for safety, 

 air conditioning, ventilation, and electrical service. Much of the central utility plant 

 and its distribution systems which support all NIH buildings exceed or are approach- 

 ing limits on their rated useful lives. These systems are inefficient, obsolete, unreliable, 

 and have insufficient capacity to meet existing, much less projected, research de- 

 mands. 



The impact that these conditions have on NIH intramural research capabilities are 

 important. For example, the Deputy Executive Officer for Planning and Technology 

 for the Clinical Center says that they are unable to provide continuous CAT scanning 

 capability because of dependence on a shared central chiller for air conditioning - a 

 system that has no back up to provide for emergency loss of power; and according to 

 Dr. Edward Korn, Scientific Director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Insti- 

 tute, new initiatives in the Cardiology Branch that were designed to study restenosis 

 following angioplasty and the genetic basis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy have been 

 curtailed due to infrastructure constraints imposed by the condition of the Clinical 

 Center. 



Similar infrastructure problems exist throughout campus. For example, in Build- 

 ing 3, one of the original laboratories built on the NIH campus, researchers at the Na- 

 tional Heart, Lung and Blood Institute have stated that the condition of the facility 

 makes it not only impossible to consider new initiatives, but makes ongoing research 

 far less productive. For example, the entire building is serviced by a single supply fan 

 and a single exhaust fan, which provide the necessary ventilation required to provide a 

 safe laboratory environment. There is no back-up should these systems fail. 



However, we have some very expensive, remarkable research space in the remain- 

 ing half of the campus buildings that are less than 30 years old. In fact, much of this 

 space has been constructed in the last five years and truly provides a state-of-the-art 

 research environment. 



NIH CLINICAL CENTER 



Many of the concerns about campus-wide infrastructure are reflected in the condi- 

 tions found in the Clinical Center -- the keystone of the Intramural Research Program 

 at NIH. 



The concentration of scientists and resources within the Clinical Center make it 

 unlike any other place in the world. Here sophisticated scientific advances are applied 

 directly to the treatment of both inpatients and outpatients. The Clinical Center Com- 

 plex is the world's largest hospital devoted exclusively to clinical research. As a na- 

 tional resource, the 



Clinical Center contains almost half of the country's federally supported dedicated 

 clinical research beds. 



