Documents show MURR makes up MU’s top-dollar capital project in 2027

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The first and second phases of the NextGen Missouri University Research Reactor is the top-dollar capital project for the University of Missouri in 2027.

Meeting documents from Thursday’s Board of Curators meeting shows the university is planning on spending about $140 million for Phases 1 and 2 of the project next year. Those phases include “the programming, site study, preliminary design, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing activities needed to support development of a new research reactor facility,” documents detailing the school’s capital project plan from 2027-31 show.

“The project is intended to expand the University’s capacity to support cancerfighting research and medical isotope production, building on the role of the existing MU Research Reactor as a nationally significant producer of critical medical isotopes used in FDAapproved therapies and research applications,” documents say.

The project is expected to be completed by 2033, according to previous reporting.

Additional projects next year include a $25 million repair to Jesse Hall, which includes upgrades to the exterior masonry, metal repairs and window replacement. Another $40 million for Chilled Water Capacity & Resiliency Improvements and a 2028 decommissioning of Pickard Hall is set for $10 million.

MU Health Care is also hoping for a $23 million expansion of its Callaway County location between now and 2029.

“This project supports expansion of rural health care services to improve access and capacity in Callaway County. The investment aligns with MU Health Care’s mission to address regional health needs and strengthen care delivery outside the core campus environment,” documents say.

All projects can be found in the document below.

Also at the meeting, the school approved a pilot one-year extension to make submitting test scores optional for prospective students for the Columbia, Rolla and St. Louis campuses.