ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- A new laboratory for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Maryland will be set up by Lockheed Martin under a $66 million contract.
The facility at Fort Detrick, which will replace an existing one, will be nearly 1 million square feet in size, and under the six-year award Lockheed Martin will help transition equipment and personnel to it.
"Standing up a research environment is a complex undertaking requiring expertise in medical outfitting and transition," said June Shrewsbury, vice president of technical services at Lockheed Martin's Global Training and Logistics business.
"Our support will help researchers advance scientific discoveries that will protect Americans from infectious diseases."
Lockheed Martin Global Training and Logistics unit said it has the experience for the project. It developed and led the transition process for the Department of Defense's Medical Education Training Campus at Fort Sam Houston in Texas and is doing the same for a military medical center in San Antonio.
The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases was established in 1969. It researches and develops vaccines and other medical materials for defense against biological threats.
