Planning and construction for a new biomedical research and psychology building will begin this year after the project received Stage I approval from the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees, UAB officials have announced.

UAB spokesperson Alicia Rohan said Stage I represents approval of the project’s preliminary scope and budget and allows UAB to formally proceed with project planning.

In late December the project received an additional $76 million in federal funding following President Biden’s signature of the federal omnibus spending bill according to a recent UAB press release. The bill allocated over $772 million for Alabama domestic spending projects outside of defense or space-related items.

With the most recent allocation UAB’s new building has now received over $150 million in federal funding with strong support from former U.S. Senator Richard Shelby according to the release.

“We remain grateful to Senator Shelby, who championed this important project at the federal level, as well as the UA System Office and the Board of Trustees for their support of this new facility that will be a hub for further interdisciplinary collaboration in the heart of our campus,” said UAB President Ray L. Watts in the release. “Interdisciplinary collaboration is a longtime strength and hallmark of UAB. State-of-the-art facilities like this advance the aims of our strategic plan, make UAB more competitive globally, and bring better health and quality of life to the people of Alabama and beyond.”