WVSOM Bio Groundbreaking and Economic Development Forum
This video is the introduction for all WVSOM Bio videos and includes the video of the WVSOM Bio Groundbreaking event.
NOTE: To see all the economic development forum panels and other videos, visit the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwH6189ioLR6T5ii-24TPNGS-S4qxVz1h
On Aug. 20, 2025, WVSOM held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the $35 million expansion of its Fredric W. Smith Science Center on its Lewisburg Campus.
Federal, state and local government officials and industry leaders joined WVSOM in celebrating the research expansion. Funding came from $29 million in state and $6 million in federal appropriations, with construction scheduled for completion in 2027.
The project will serve the research needs of WVSOM students, faculty, and staff. Additional research also supports the importance of recruitment, educational quality, residency placement, and potential healthcare developments.
The expansion includes an estimated 10,000 square feet of shell space for public/private partnerships in a Greenbrier Valley Bio Hub. WVSOM is seeking a diverse mix of contacts and opportunities, including researchers, device companies, clinical and community trial coordinators, start-ups, and entrepreneurs.
Following the groundbreaking, the school hosted "WVSOM Bio," an economic development forum featuring representatives from industry, government, and the school. To attract bioscience researchers, institutions, and companies to WVSOM, school representatives have been collaborating with the West Virginia Division of Economic Development and attending biotech events nationwide to meet experts, listen, and learn.
WVSOM has been to San Diego, New York, Washington, D.C, and most recently Boston, which drew 20,000 people with connections to bioscience development, including more than 5,400 companies.
Contact Dovenia Ponnoth, WVSOM Associate Dean for Research and Sponsored Programs at 304-647-6297 or dponnoth@osteo.wvsom.edu or Don Smith, WVSOM Associate Vice President for Government and External Relations at 304-647-6372 or dsmith3@osteo.wvsom.edu, for more information.