FAQ - Science Research Park

The Science Research Park is located on UC San Diego’s East Campus. It is adjacent to UC San Diego Health's La Jolla campus, the Mesa graduate student housing neighborhood and within a 10-minute walk from the Executive Drive and UC San Diego Health La Jolla stations of the UC San Diego Blue Line trolley.

The site is bounded by Regents Road on the east, Health Sciences Drive on the north, Medical Center Drive on the northwest and Athena Circle/Miramar Street on the southwest and south. Current tenants within the Science Research Park totaling approximately 280,000 square feet include the La Jolla Institute for Immunology (operational since 2006) and the Center for Novel Therapeutics (operational since 2019). 

The university announced in November 2022 that Wexford Science & Technology LLC would develop the remaining 14 acres within the 23-acre Science Research Park through a public-private partnership. 

Approximately 1.1 million square feet of new building space will consist primarily of technology and life science research and office space, and will also include restaurants, retail, meeting space, fitness facilities and two above-grade parking structures comprising approximately 3,120 parking spaces for tenants and visitors.

                  Proposed project components:

The vision for Science Research Park was considered as far back as the 1989 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) and was also included in the 2004 and 2018 LRDPs with the development concept, objectives and programmatic criteria for the research park were reviewed by the Regents in May 2002.

A key objective of the Science Research Park is to augment and enhance the instructional and research base of the university and provide flexibility for the campus to meet changing research program requirements. The expansion of the Science Research Park will be prioritized for tenants seeking an affiliation with the university in the form of joint research, internship opportunities for UC San Diego students, provision of research, scholarship and endowment funding and other collaborative relationships. 

The tenant mix will focus on technology, life science and other disciplines of instruction and research currently conducted or desired on campus. A diversity of tenant sizes (including for-profit and non-profit entities), research incubators and accelerators will form a thriving research ecosystem.

Anticipated tenant activities include research and product development; production, assembly and testing of prototypes; pilot plant facilities and research-related support and ancillary uses that support a vibrant research community, such as retail, dining, fitness and other community-oriented activities.

Potential tenants interested in learning more about Science Research Park should contact:

The university anticipates that the continued development of the Science Research Park will

• augment and enhance the instructional and research base of UC San Diego;
• create an intellectual resource to enhance the campus’s instruction and research programs by providing opportunities for interaction between industrial and academic activities;
• act as an intellectual resource to enhance UC San Diego’s ability to continue to attract and retain top researchers and scientists;
• provide a climate that will enhance private support for UC San Diego research, graduate fellowships, undergraduate and graduate student training and collaborative faculty and private sector interdisciplinary research in medicine, life sciences, engineering, information technology, telecommunications, physical sciences and the marine sciences and
• provide a substantial financial resource for the campus that supports the university’s mission of teaching, research and public service.

Science Research Park will support innovative research companies, entrepreneurs and researchers who are seeking to improve the human condition and drive regional economic impact. Tenants of the future Science Research Park buildings will build off of existing biotech success in the community.

Programming on entrepreneurial support, innovation challenges and business growth will be open to the public. Neighborhood-serving retail in the form of a café or restaurant are included, and community-facing portions of the project have been designed with welcoming pedestrian features, open and accessible lobbies, plazas, art and pop-up activations which the community are welcome to enjoy.

This development will contribute to the economic development of the region by creating new jobs, attracting life science and tech experience, and providing students with the opportunity to solve real-world challenges.

• A $5 million co-investment fund will be created with a focus on early-stage biotech and tech companies.
• Wexford Science & Technology will also create a Community Partnership Fund with initial funding of at least $500,000. Goals of the Community Partnership Fund would include advancing Science Research Park as a driver of inclusive economic development for the region through access to jobs, workforce development, youth engagement and community access.
• A Life Sciences Fellows Program will also be established by Wexford Science & Technology in an amount of $500,000 spread over a three-year period to support fifteen to twenty K-12 educators per year from the region to participate in summer programming designed to deepen the connection between industry and education, as well as allow the educators to develop curricula modules that prepare students for careers in life sciences and biotechnology.

The general contractor, Turner Construction, is committed to increasing diversity in the workforce and expanding the opportunities available to under-represented business enterprises. Turner Construction and Wexford Science & Technology will work with UC San Diego to create an impactful approach to utilizing under-represented business enterprises at all levels of contracting. The project will pay California prevailing wage to all construction trade workers and will comply with applicable UC labor policies for any applicable future project maintenance and operating functions.

• Create an identity that is visually rich and promotes a sense of place, both physically and intellectually.
• Integrate the natural landscape of the canyon as a prominent characteristic and as a counterpoint to the landscape of the Science Research Park core and campus walks.
• Establish the Science Research Park as a pedestrian-first precinct that supports both movement and stasis, inviting people to gather.
• Prioritize bike infrastructure and organize parking and circulation such that vehicles are in areas on the perimeter of the campus, separate from cycles and pedestrians.
• Develop the public realm as a series of distinct destinations that strengthen campus-wide resilience, habitat and shade.

The three new buildings and two new parking structures will be located at the perimeters of the Science Research Park to create a pedestrian focused campus in harmony with the Center for Novel Therapeutics and La Jolla Institute for Immunology. The three new buildings are placed along two primary pedestrian circulation axes.

• The North Building is a gateway from the UC San Diego Health campus and its design includes a front porch and lawn intended to welcome and foster a sense of community.
• The South Building is a distinctive marker from the Athena Way entrance and its ground level is focused on neighborhood-serving retail.
• The East Building is situated prominently along Regents Road and it is designed to relate well to the existing La Jolla Institute for Immunology building and campus neighbors to the east.

The new buildings’ locations maximize daylight within Science Research Park and respect the scale of the existing buildings, providing relief and interest through varying the building heights that balance vertical and horizontal composition.

In response to public input, the perimeter of the campus is given special development and design consideration due to the proximity of existing residential land uses and community character. In line with this, the building and parking structure on Science Research Park’s eastern edge will be set back to create a more immersive pedestrian walk buffered from Regents Road.  Additional Executive Drive enhancements proposed as part of the University City Community Plan Update have been discussed, and the project will seek an integrated approach with those future plans.  

All future Science Research Park tenants would be able to benefit from UC San Diego’s extensive alternative transportation incentives. For example:

• Science Research Park tenants will benefit from subsidized transit passes and a free campus shuttle.
• More than 130 short- and long-term storage areas will be provided for bicycle and micromobility devices.
• The realignment of Health Sciences and Medical Center Drives provides an area for rideshare drop offs as well as campus shuttle stops.
• The UC San Diego Health La Jolla trolley station can be accessed via an express campus shuttle.

In addition, UC San Diego has invested:

• Approximately $2 million to implement adaptive traffic signal controls at 26 intersections along five miles of roadway surrounding campus, including Regents Road, La Jolla Village Drive and North Torrey Pines Road. Anticipated to be fully operational well in advance of this project being completed, “smart signals” will improve traffic flow by using sensors and artificial intelligence to adjust signals in real-time to reduce the time cars spend idling at red lights, which also helps to curb carbon emissions. 
• Approximately $1.5 million on the crosswalk improvements in the area.
• Approximately $11 million to build new roadways to improve access to UC San Diego’s East Campus, provide direct access to the Mesa Housing Neighborhood and reduce traffic on surrounding city streets.

The project will follow the University of California Policy on Sustainable Practices which establishes goals for green building, clean energy, transportation, climate protection, facilities operations, zero waste, procurement, food service and water systems. 

A full range of sustainability practices for building design and operations are included in the budgeting, programming and design effort for the project, which is targeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for the three buildings and PARKSMART Silver certification for the two parking structures.

• The project is designed to meet the whole-building energy performance targets dictated by the University of California Policy on Sustainable Practices.
• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems include high efficiency chillers, heat pumps and heat recovery chillers that can manage simultaneous heating and cooling loads. The design provides for all-electric space heating and domestic water heating.
• Water saving plumbing fixtures would be installed throughout, and reclaimed water would be used for landscape irrigation.
• All parking structures are designed to be solar-ready, and 20 percent of total parking spaces would contain the necessary electrical connections for electric vehicle charging stations.
• Natural light is optimized, with controls to limit as needed.
• All purchased electricity would be 100 percent clean electricity.

The Regents of the University of California is the lead agency and will have the principal responsibility for considering and approving the proposed development project. The project’s design and environmental compliance with the approved 2018 LRDP Environmental Impact Report was presented to the UC Regents and approved in September 2023. 

Design Development: October 2023 through February 2024

Long Range Development Plan EIR Addendum: September 6, 2023

UC Regents Meeting review and approval: September 19-21, 2023

Construction (Phased Development 2024 – 2032)

The 2018 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) for the La Jolla campus anticipated the continued expansion of Science Research Park to build upon the success of collaborative research conducted within existing Science Research Park research facilities and increased demand from corporate research partners for an on-campus presence.

 The 2018 Long Range Development Plan EIR includes a comprehensive environmental analysis of the potential impacts that would result from the development planned in the 2018 LRDP. The scope of the impacts disclosed in the 2018 LRDP EIR includes those of the Science Research Park project, and all applicable 2018 LRDP EIR mitigation measures will be applied during design, construction and operation of the project. Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and CEQA Guidelines, an Addendum to the 2018 LRDP EIR was prepared to evaluate and document the project’s consistency with the previously prepared environmental analysis. The Addendum to the 2018 Long Range Development Plan EIR for the project was available for the public to view on the university’s 2018 LRDP EIR webpage as of September 6, two weeks prior to the September UC Regents meeting.  The UC Regents considered the information provided in the 2018 LRDP EIR and the Addendum prior to making a decision on the project.

UC San Diego strives to lessen the impact of construction whenever possible and will continue to keep the community updated on these efforts. Diligent dust control measures, storm water best management practices and work hour restrictions (typically 7 a.m. - 7p.m.) will be in place during construction, pursuant to the 2018 Long Range Development Plan EIR mitigation program.

In addition, the project will be split into two distinct construction phases to alleviate construction impacts to neighboring facilities and the community. The phased approach also provides a strategy to address growing parking needs as the site develops and buildings open. Construction would start along the western edge of the site and work toward Regents Road.

The project was envisioned and planned for in the 2018 Long Range Development Plan, which designated site area’s land use as “Science Research”. Extensive internal and external outreach was conducted during development of the 2018 LRDP and its associated Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

Since adoption of the 2018 LRDP EIR, the university has regularly updated internal stakeholders and external community members on progress of implementation of the 2018 LRDP.

• On February 3, 2023, UC San Diego hosted an open house for elected officials at UC San Diego’s Epstein Family Amphitheater, during which current and upcoming campus development projects, including the proposed development of Science Research Park, were presented to various elected officials and public agency staff of the San Diego region.
• On February 27, 2023, UC San Diego held a public open house event to share the status of the campus’ capital improvements program, including the proposed development of Science Research Park. Members of the surrounding communities were invited to come learn about current and upcoming projects and discuss with UC San Diego staff.
• On March 22, 2023, UC San Diego attended an event at San Diego City Hall to discuss campus programs, growth, and development projects, including the proposed project with city staff and elected officials.

The university regularly works closely with the local community to provide updates on campus programs as well as implementation of projects tiering from the 2018 LRDP.

• On May 9, 2023, an informational presentation and Q&A session on the Science Research Park project was made to the University Community Planning Group, the planning group associated with community where this project is located.
• In May and June 2023, the project was discussed at focused meetings with the City of San Diego planning department to ensure that the university and city are collaborating on the development, especially in the context of the University Community Plan Update which makes recommendations for the enhancement of the area adjacent to the project area. 
• In addition, project information has been shared with the Chancellors Community Advisory Group and various other stakeholders in the La Jolla and University City community. 

UC Regents meetings are open to the public, and members of the public may sign up to provide public comment.  In addition, the university has established a website which provides project information and is updated on a regular basis.