A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the opening of the first tower of the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health Thursday.
The tower, which will house a cancer research center, is the first of three towers that will make up the research complex.
Gov. Jim Doyle, UW Chancellor Carolyn Biddy"" Martin, UW System President Kevin Reilly and representatives of the UW Foundation spoke before the opening.
Doyle said he expects the institute to house new discoveries that will have positive ramifications all over the world.
""There will be discoveries made that are just going to have incredibly far-reaching consequences, positive consequences for people not only in the state of Wisconsin, not only in the United States but throughout the world,"" Doyle said.
He said citizens should be proud of Wisconsin's expertise in medical research.
""It doesn't get better than that to have '¦ a major sector of the economy based on finding the cures for illnesses that have long thought to be incurable,"" Doyle said.
Doyle said there were times, especially during the state's recent $3.5 million budget deficit, when it was not clear if the institute would be built, but he is happy the state decided to go in a progressive direction and invest in medical research.
According to Reilly, the institute will contribute to Wisconsin's Growth Agenda by creating new jobs and attracting talented and highly educated people to the state.
Martin said the new institute will have a big impact on scientific research around the world.
""Wisconsin is helping rewrite the paradigm for all biomedical research across the country and the world, and that's no small feat,"" Martin said.
Construction for the project, one of the largest UW-Madison has undertaken, began in 2005 and is scheduled for completion in 2015.
