This spring, the University of Tampa is shifting from planning to full-on construction for a five-story, riverfront Science Innovation Center that university officials say will be the largest academic building in campus history. The 153,000-square-foot complex is designed to pull together teaching and research programs in biology, chemistry, forensic science and marine science, which are currently scattered across several campus buildings. University leaders say the new center is meant to give students an edge when competing for internships, graduate programs and jobs in Tampa’s growing life-science economy.
Inside the Science Center
The Science Innovation Center is set to pack in 25 teaching laboratories, 23 research laboratories, three microscopy rooms, four aquarium research labs, tissue-culture and advanced instrumentation labs and 73 faculty offices. The building’s modular layout will also include a bioinformatics and computational classroom, outdoor gathering spaces alongside the West Riverwalk and a convertible teaching space that can be turned into an instructional lab, according to the University of Tampa.
In a press release from the University of Tampa, provost Mike Stephenson called the project “a transformative, forward-facing facility,” while President Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg described it as “a defining investment in the University’s academic future.” The university notes that the work is backed in part by a major gift from Dr. Stephen F. and Marsha Dickey, longtime benefactors of the institution.
Breaking Ground and Timeline
The move into the construction phase drew broader attention on April 20, 2026, when the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported that UTampa had begun the next stage of work on the project. University materials and industry coverage indicate the center is scheduled to open in Spring 2029.
Design, Donors and Builders
HDR Architects is leading the design, and Barr and Barr is serving as the construction contractor. The Science Innovation Center is a candidate for U.S. Green Building Council LEED certification. Industry reporting also highlights that the building’s red-brick west façade is planned to complement Plant Hall, while glass and contemporary angles on the east side will frame river and downtown views, according to Construction Review.
What It Means for Tampa
The Science Innovation Center arrives in the middle of a local building spree aimed at growing a Tampa Bay research and innovation cluster, with projects ranging from hospital innovation hubs to museum expansions and private incubators. Reporting by WUSF and Hoodline’s coverage of recent openings points to hospitals, nonprofits and universities all adding lab and collaboration space to attract talent and industry partners.
University officials say the Science Innovation Center is intended to tighten the connection between campus and the regional workforce, giving students hands-on lab experience that local employers are looking for. Project renderings and the university’s fact sheet indicate that the building’s riverfront site is meant to physically link the campus with downtown’s innovation economy and to create new public gathering areas as construction continues through this spring.
