[OurTrent Editor's note: There appears to be a huge rush to obtain taxpayer's money. In order to do so they have to commit creating an operational building from concept to occupation by December 2005. That's about 13 months.

Trent has a less than stellar record of managing building projects. Contractors have $9.2 million of liens against Trent and Trent has conceded they are $3.2 over budget on that project (unaudited). Does the DNA Cluster Project appears driven and rushed by the immediate prospect of Trent obtaining grant money?]

That's the deadline set by the federal government to have buildings complete with state-of-the-art lab equipment in place before millions of dollars in grants are lost, says Trent president Bonnie Patterson.

The project has received $3.6 million from the Canada Foundation For Innovation Fund and a matching provincial grant from the Ontario Innovative Trust Fund.

"That $8 million sits there with the clock ticking," Ms Patterson says.

"There's a stage where we need to get to."

The checklist includes having one of three potential sites approved for the research buildings on campus and to provide detailed business plans for the project.

Don O'Leary, vice-president of administration, emphasizes the looming deadline to get work underway.

"It's got to be soon though. It can't be too long," he said.

The proposed site, northeast of the science complex, was selected and approved by Trent's board of governors Friday after consultation with the university's facilities and grounds as well as the nature areas committees. The cost of servicing the site and environmental factors were both discussed to determine the best site for the project.

Three business plans are currently being developed to be ready for the board by mid October, Mr. O'Leary says. Each plan will outline varying stages of the project. The long-term goal is to have four buildings, side by side, housing labs, offices and a DNA profiling centre for both the university and the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Mr. O'Leary expects the focus will initially be on the construction of the Trent component of the project, which includes building laboratories for use by staff and students.

"More funding is probably needed" to meet all construction costs, he adds.

An application to the Ontario Small Town and Rural Economic Development program for $1.3 million is still pending, says Denis Ferkany, executive co-ordinator of the DNA Cluster Project.

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