Resources
VCU School of Medicine uses the following resources to conduct research
Core Resources
Information about our core laboratories
For information about our core laboratories, please see the VCU Office of Research website.
Additional resources for clinical research are available within the SOM Clinical Research Administration group as well as the Center for Clinical and Translational Research website.
Learn moreFacilities
Bricks and Mortar: The most recent additions to research space include the Goodwin Research Building, opened in 2005 to support research in the Massey Cancer Center, the Molecular Medicine Research Building (opened in 2009), the Pauley Heart Center (on the seventh floor of Sanger Hall, completed in fall 2012), the Massey Cancer Center vivarium (completed in fall 2012) and the expansion of space for our Structural Biology Core in the basement of the James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Medical Education Center (completed in fall 2013). All new labs are organized in an open lab format to encourage research collaboration. The receipt of an NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award in 2010 led to the creation of the Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR), located in the old Richmond Academy of Medicine Building. The increased space for basic science research and creation of the CCTR has enabled us to move more easily toward the translation of basic science discoveries into new and novel treatments for patients.
Sanger Hall
Sanger Hall (486,495 GSF)
- B3: Anesthesiology, Internal Medicine, Radiology, Neurosurgery, Emergency Medicine
- B2: Animal Resources
- B1: Physiology, Anesthesiology, Internal Medicine, Radiation Oncology
- First Floor: Internal Medicine, SOM Research Administration, SOM Graduate and M.D.-Ph.D. programs
- Second Floor: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Third Floor: Physiology and Biophysics
- Fourth Floor: Radiology, Pathology
- Fifth Floor: Microbiology, Physiology, Pathology
- Sixth Floor: Neurology, Microbiology
- Seventh Floor: Internal Medicine-Endocrine, Pauley Heart Center, Microbiology
- Eighth Floor: Ophthalmology, Neurology, Surgery, Internal Medicine- Nephrology, Pediatrics, Radiology
- Ninth Floor: Anatomy and Neurobiology, Microscopy Core Facility, Surgery
- 10th Floor: anatomy dissection suite for students
- 11th Floor: Anatomy and Neurobiology, Human and Molecular Genetics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics
- 12th Floor: Pediatrics, Neurology, Anatomy and Neurobiology
Kontos Medical Science Building
Kontos Medical Science Building (128,491 GSF) 
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Second Floor: Neurology, BSL3 Microbiology, Pediatrics
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Third Floor: Pharmacology and Toxicology
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Fourth Floor: Immunology, Anatomy and Neurobiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology
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Fifth Floor: Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
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Sixth Floor: Neurology (Pharmacology and Toxicology), Pediatrics
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Seventh Floor: Anatomy and Neurobiology, Neurosurgery
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Eighth Floor: Animal Care
Molecular Medicine Research Building
Molecular Medicine Research Building (125,000 GSF)
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Second Floor: Physiology and Biophysics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
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Third Floor: Pharmacology and Toxicology
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Fourth Floor: Human and Molecular Genetics, Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
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Fifth Floor: Physiology and Biophysics, Internal Medicine
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Sixth Floor: Internal Medicine
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Seventh Floor: Human and Molecular Genetics (Institute for Molecular Medicine)
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Eighth Floor: Animal Care (transgenic animals)
McGuire Hall and Annex
McGuire Hall and Annex (39,580 GSF)
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First Floor: Internal Medicine, Microbiology
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Third Floor: Pharmacology and Toxicology
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Fourth Floor: Internal Medicine, Pediatrics
Smith Building
Smith Building (10,731 ASF)
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B: Animal Care
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Seventh Floor: Pharmacology and Toxicology
BioTech I and Center
BioTech I and Center (17,856 ASF)
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First Floor: Human and Molecular Genetics, Biostatistics and Psychiatry (The Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics; the Mid-Atlantic Twin Registry)
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Second Floor: Surgery
Goodwin Research Laboratory
Goodwin Research Laboratory (71,000 GSF)
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Floors 1 to 3 are all occupied by researchers in the Massey Cancer Center from the following departments: Human and Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Internal Medicine, Radiation Oncology, Microbiology and Immunology and Surgery.
One Capital Square
One Capitol Square (72,000 GSF)
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Floors 4 through 9 house Epidemiology and Community Health, Social and Behavioral Health, Healthcare Policy and Research and Biostatistics
Research Space Guidelines
The VCU School of Medicine’s Research Space Guidelines serve to document the criteria that guide the School’s Dean in the distribution of research space
The VCU School of Medicine’s Research Space Guidelines serve to document the criteria that guide the School’s Dean in the distribution of wet bench research space within the School of Medicine (SOM). These guidelines will be reviewed and revised periodically to ensure that research space is utilized effectively and in accordance with changing goals, priorities and funding levels. These guidelines refer to wet bench research only.
- All research space in the School of Medicine belongs to the Dean and all space assignments are made by the Dean in consultation with the Senior Associate Dean for Research and Research Training and the Senior Associate Dean for Finance and Administration. Vacated space reverts to the Dean and not the Department to which the previous faculty member occupant belonged. Research space utilization will be evaluated based on criteria outlined in these Guidelines.
- Research space utilization is tracked by the Research Space Management System (RSMS).
- No-cost extensions are not considered as active funding and are not included in the $/SF calculations in RSMS.
- Extramurally funded sponsored research will be given highest priority for assignment of research laboratory and research-related space.
- Non-university space leased for research will be included in the inventory.
Unassigned research space will be recorded in the Dean’s Office room inventory until assigned. Common support space for equipment and freezers will be assigned to faculty in open format lab configurations in proportion to their assigned bench space, as detailed below.
Research award dollars per square foot of research and research-related space will be used as the primary criterion for evaluating research space utilization. Square footage will be based on actual laboratory dimensions in locations with “closed labs,” including selected labs in KMSB , McGuire Hall and McGuire Annex, Smith Building, and Sanger Hall floors that have not undergone renovation. In buildings (Goodwin, Molecular Medicine) and on floors of Sanger Hall where labs are in the open format (currently floors 2, 3 and 7 Pauley Heart) we have converted square feet to research modules. The calculation is described below.
Calculation of $ per square foot
- The $ per square feet ratio is calculated by dividing wet award dollars (direct costs only) by wet square feet. A calculation is provided for each PI.
- For open laboratories we have devised modules. One module is the space required to support the research activity of one R01 grant which on average funds the work of four researchers. The average R01 grant is currently about $225,000 in direct costs. The modules in each research building in the SOM are defined as follows:
- Type A: Sanger unrenovated space, McGuire Hall and Smith 7. One module or R01 equivalent equals 750 sq. ft (lab + office)
- Type B: Kontos Medical Research Building. One module equals 465 sq. ft. of closed lab + office (88 sq. ft.) + central support space (approx.. 100 sq.ft) = approx.. 650 sq. ft.
- Type C: Open lab space with 21’ lab benches (Goodwin, Sanger 2 and 3, Pauley Heart). One module equals one bench (two researchers on each side + 1 procedure room + equipment corridor space + shared core space + faculty office.
- Type D: Open lab space with 13.5’ bench length (Molecular Medicine Research Building). One module equals 2 benches (one researcher on each side) + 1 alcove + tissue culture space (~ 80 sq. ft) + equipment corridor space (~ 80 sq. ft.) + shared core space + faculty office.
- One module = 750 sq. ft for space calculations. Thus the $/sq. ft. for an average R01 should average 300 $/sq. ft., We have set our floor $/sq.ft for each researcher at 250$/sq.ft. This allows the research $ support to be as low as $187,500 for 750 sq. ft. of space (one module) or the space for the average R01 ($225,000) to be as high as 900 sq. ft. Space that is consistently funded below $250sq. ft. will be classified as “underfunded”; space that is consistently funded below $200/sq. ft. will be classified as “at risk”.
Individual faculty must submit requests for additional space by filling out the form available at the SOM Research website or the facilities website and sending it to Beth Kiser (eckiser@vcu.edu). Requests for additional space will be evaluated by the Space Committee (Beth Kiser, Keith Hayes, Gordon Archer and Amy Sebring) and recommendations will be submitted to the Dean for final approval. All new and competing grant proposals that anticipate needing additional space if the proposal is funded should include plans for space expansion in their internal routing form at the time of grant submission.
Department chairs may submit a written appeal to the Dean within two weeks of the Dean’s decision if he/she can provide additional justification for the requested action.