The University of Texas at Arlington just received a huge boost thanks to a $7.5 million donation from Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, the Maryland-based subsidiary of Kyoto-headquartered Shimadzu Corp. The donation is the largest philanthropic contribution in school history.
The money will go toward a new installment of science equipment. In addition, UT Arlington will rename the Institute for Research Technologies to the Shimadzu Institute for Research Technology, because when a company gives you that kind of donation, you give them naming rights. The institute will be housed in the Chemistry and Physics Building and two other buildings on campus.
The donation is the largest philanthropic contribution in school history.
Shimadzu Scientific Instruments’ technology is used in analytics, aerospace and medical research. The company has clients ranging from the food and beverage industry to petrochemicals.
The new Shimadzu Institute will house more than $25 million in equipment from the company to aid in research on environmental testing, pharmaceuticals development, and oil and gas exploration.
“We are grateful for this generous support from Shimadzu and for their strategic relationship with the University of Texas at Arlington,” said UT Arlington president James D. Spaniolo in a statement. “This partnership promises to make North Texas a new hub of scientific discovery and innovation. The Shimadzu Institute will be a magnet for world-class students and a resource for discovery across Texas and beyond.”
Some of the equipment will be making its U.S. debut when it is added to the labs at UT Arlington, and the institute will house the year-old Shimadzu Center for Advanced Analytical Chemistry, as well as the new Center for Imaging and Center for Environmental, Forensic and Material Analysis.
This donation is the latest in a decade-long collaboration between the school and the company. In April 2012, Shimadzu donated nearly $3 million worth of equipment for the aforementioned center of advanced analytical chemistry.
