Greater Good News

Redevelopment Work Begins at
Old Charity Hospital

Consortium Including Foundation Among
Finalists for Economic Development
Administration Grant

The Gulf Coast Health Sciences Corridor consortium, for which the Greater New Orleans Foundation has provided significant financial support and includes the Foundation as its lead workforce partner, is a finalist for an up to $75M federal grant. Xavier, Tulane, LSU, and Delgado are some of the other partners. We are excited to share the 5-minute outline of the project, pitched by Kris Khalil of the New Orleans BioInnovation Center, the consortium's lead applicant.
 

Watch the pitch >> 
Learn more about the proposal >>

LSU to Receive $75M to
Fund Cancer Research 

LCMC Health in New Orleans donated $75M to LSU as part of $245M worth of recently announced healthcare investments. LCMC's donation will shape cancer care across the state and will fund LSU researchers at the Louisiana Cancer Research Center in the heart of New Orleans' BioDistrict. The funding will keep patients, research, and doctors in Louisiana. It is being hailed as a game-changer in securing National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation and creating a healthier state for all of Louisiana's residents. 

Photo courtesy of The Advocate. 

Watch the Video >>

Our Greater Region

• Tulane University has cut the ribbon on its brand-new downtown Innovation Institute. The institute, which will move into space in the redeveloped Charity Hospital building within the next few years, will "bring to the market the ideas and discoveries of Tulane faculty, researchers, staff and students, as well as local innovators, to fuel innovation in the Gulf South." Read about it here.
• World-renowned cancer biology researcher Joe W. Ramos, Ph.D., is the new leader of the Louisiana Cancer Research Center (LCRC). LCRC brings together top researchers from Tulane, LSU Health New Orleans, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Ochsner Health to perform path-breaking research to seek cures for dozens of different cancers. LCRC is located in the heart of the BioDistrict and creates a hub for cancer research where resources, knowledge, and grants are shared. Learn more.
• In response to community feedback, new boundaries have been set for the BioDistrict as a part of House Bill 797, authored by Rep. Royce Duplessis. This bill adjusts the authorities and boundaries of the BioDistrict and has passed and been signed into law as Act 354 of the 2022 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature, paving the way for the City of New Orleans to consider funding for this economic development district.

The Good Word

• NOLA.com profiled the St. Louis Cortex Innovation Community, which began in 2002 and has boosted the St. Louis economy exponentially. Read it here.
• The Ion Innovation Hub in Houston's bustling innovation district held its grand opening in May. The Ion hosts tech and biomedical firms including Microsoft, Chevron Technology Ventures, Schlumberger, and Dow Chemicals plus startups like Liongard, Koda Health, and Clutch. The center, constructed in a former Sears department store, is 266,000 square feet and serves as the anchor for Houston's innovation district. Watch the video here. 
• Downtown Rochester, Minnesota is seeing transformational growth thanks to the Destination Medical Center. DMC, anchored by the Mayo Clinic, is a 20-year $5.6 billion facelift for Rochester's downtown. Despite pandemic-induced challenges, the project is moving full steam ahead. Listen to the story here.