Shriners Research Institute Atlanta Breaks Ground on $153M Lab Facility

Shriners Children's broke ground on its $153 million research institute in Atlanta, the Tampa-based pediatric health system announced on November 5, 2026, and launched a phased, five-year recruitment effort that begins with 50 investigators and builds toward 470 employees (Shriners Children's via EurekAlert). The facility at Science Square near Georgia Tech is expected to be occupied in June 2027.

What Happened

The Shriners Children's Research Institute will be a pediatric medical research facility “located in the heart of Science Square,” according to the organization's release (Shriners Children's via EurekAlert). Alongside the groundbreaking, Shriners opened recruitment for the institute's first scientists, with application review expected to begin at the end of November 2026.

The planned research program covers biomechanics and motion analysis, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, genetics, augmented reality and computational science. The building is planned to include a full biomechanics laboratory, tissue engineering laboratories, augmented reality development spaces and cellular and molecular research facilities (Shriners Children's via EurekAlert).

The institute will also include a clinical GMP (good manufacturing practice) facility intended to move tissue engineering discoveries into products for clinical trials, with examples including skin grafts for burn care and engineered cartilage for cleft palate repair (Shriners Children's via EurekAlert). A GMP suite is among the most demanding spaces in any lab building, with tight controls on cleanliness, pressure relationships and environmental monitoring.

Alison Cernich, Ph.D., director of the Shriners Children's Institute, said the organization “is making a significant investment in the infrastructure and people needed to establish this institute” (Shriners Children's via EurekAlert).

Background

Shriners first announced the Atlanta institute in July 2025, when Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said the organization would invest more than $153 million in the facility and create 470 jobs (Shriners Children's). The project grew out of a collaboration with the Georgia Tech Pediatric Innovation Network that began in 2019 and has produced more than 25 joint research projects, including robotic exoskeletons for children with cerebral palsy (Shriners Children's).

Science Square is a mixed-use development that Georgia Tech is developing with Trammell Crow Co. on land the university owns near downtown Atlanta, and Georgia Tech said Shriners would be its largest tenant (WABE). The project is being financed with Shriners Children's own resources, and state and local incentives were reported to be part of the deal, though details had not been released at the time of the 2025 announcement (WABE).

Shriners Children's is headquartered at 2900 N. Rocky Point Drive in Tampa, Florida, and operates 17 hospitals in the United States plus one each in Mexico and Canada (WABE). Its research department is also headquartered in Tampa (Shriners Children's).

Where Things Stand

With ground broken in November 2026 and occupancy targeted for June 2027 (Shriners Children's via EurekAlert), the schedule is compressed for a building that includes laboratory and GMP space. The release does not identify the architect, general contractor, square footage or street address. Dr. Marc Lalande, vice president of research programs, praised the choice of Cernich to lead the institute, and Cernich said, “This is just the beginning” (Shriners Children's via EurekAlert).

Implications for Owners, Developers, Contractors and Subs

• Lab and GMP fit-out demand. Biomechanics labs, tissue engineering labs and a clinical GMP suite (Shriners Children's via EurekAlert) require specialized mechanical, electrical, plumbing and controls work, and those trades set the critical path on most lab projects.
• Tight schedule. A June 2027 occupancy target leaves roughly seven months from groundbreaking, which puts a premium on early procurement of air handling equipment, controls and lab casework.
• Health care research keeps growing. The project adds to a strong health care pipeline, as WCG reported in U.S. Hospital Construction Hits a Generational High.
• University partnerships drive siting. Shriners chose Atlanta because of its existing collaboration with Georgia Tech (Shriners Children's), a reminder that research facilities tend to follow established academic relationships.

What to Watch

• Disclosure of the design and construction team and the facility's size.
• Recruitment of the first 50 investigators, with application review starting at the end of November (Shriners Children's via EurekAlert).
• Whether the June 2027 occupancy date holds.

Bottom Line

Tampa-based Shriners Children's is now building its first dedicated research institute, a $153 million lab facility at Science Square in Atlanta with a clinical GMP suite and a plan to grow to 470 employees. It is a meaningful addition to the pediatric research and life sciences construction market in the Southeast.

Key Questions

How much will the Shriners Children's Research Institute in Atlanta cost?

The Shriners Children's Research Institute at Science Square in Atlanta is a $153 million pediatric medical research facility (Shriners Children's via EurekAlert).

When will the Shriners research institute in Atlanta open?

Shriners Children's expects the Atlanta research institute to be occupied in June 2027, after breaking ground in November 2026 (Shriners Children's via EurekAlert).

How many jobs will the Shriners research institute create?

Shriners Children's plans a workforce of 470 employees at the Atlanta institute, recruited over five years starting with 50 investigators (Shriners Children's via EurekAlert).

Who is building the Shriners Children's Research Institute?

Shriners Children's has not disclosed the architect or general contractor for the Atlanta research institute (Shriners Children's via EurekAlert).

Related Coverage

• U.S. Hospital Construction Hits a Generational High: 79 Million Square Feet Underway
• DPR Breaks Ground on $230M Kaiser Westminster Facility Using Prefab
• Pharma Campus Wave: Five U.S. Drug Plant Projects Total $13.15 Billion

Image credit: Shriners Children's (rendering of the Shriners Children's Research Institute). Image from the source article, EurekAlert.

Sources

• Shriners Children's via EurekAlert, “Shriners Children's breaks ground on $153 million research institute, launches recruitment efforts,” https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1150623
• Shriners Children's, “Shriners Children's Opening First-of-Its-Kind Research Institute in Atlanta,” https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/en/news-and-media/news/2025/07/shriners-childrens-research-institute-coming-to-atlanta
• WABE, “Shriners Children's to open $153M medical research facility in Atlanta,” https://www.wabe.org/shriners-childrens-to-open-153m-medical-research-facility-in-atlanta/