UCLA converting shopping mall into science and technology research park

California Construction News staff writer

California has purchased the former Westside Pavilion shopping mall in Los Angeles, which will be transformed into the UCLA Research Park.

The 700,000-sq. ft. property will initially host two multidisciplinary research centers: the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy at UCLA and the Center for Quantum Science and Engineering.

“This acquisition will be absolutely transformative for UCLA, our great city and the world,” said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. “We will remake the empty former mall into a state-of-the-art hub of research and innovation that will bring scholars from different higher education institutions, corporate partners, government agencies, and startups together to explore new areas of inquiry and achieve breakthroughs that will serve our global society.”

The new UCLA Research Park is partially funded by a prior state investment to establish and fund the immunology and immunotherapy institute at UCLA. The institute is also supported by a group of founding donors from the biotechnology, academic, entrepreneurship, and philanthropic communities.

Google, which previously leased part of the property, helped enable and support UCLA’s acquisition.

“We’re delighted that UCLA will be further developing this state-of-the-art facility to help accelerate transformative research and innovation,” said Scott Foster, Google’s vice president of real estate and workplace services. “Google has called the Greater Los Angeles Area home for over 20 years, and we saw an opportunity for the space to be better utilized in a way that benefits the broader community.”

The site will be home to the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy. The Institute will draw on the expertise of UCLA faculty members, scholars from different higher education institutions, and other leading scientists and practitioners in clinical and biomedical scientific research, including human genetics, genomics, computer science, engineering, and information science.

Also, the UCLA Center for Quantum Science and Engineering will be relocated at the site.