CLEVELAND — Case Western Reserve University has officially opened the Roger E. Susi Interdisciplinary Research Building, a $300 million facility designed to bring together researchers from across disciplines to tackle complex problems in science and engineering.
The building's grand opening also served as the kickoff of Breakthrough Point, Case Western Reserve's $2.5 billion comprehensive fundraising campaign.
"It is the largest investment in that space in our history, so it's a pretty big play," said Case Western Reserve University President Eric W. Kaler. "We are really interested in innovation, invention, and then driving that to impact. So we want to work on problems that matter and we want to solve them here."
The building is named in honor of Roger E. Susi, a 1977 Case Western Reserve alumnus and entrepreneur whose $50 million gift — combined with a university century bond match — brings the total impact of his contribution to $100 million. Susi and his wife, Kayoko, had previously committed $25 million to the project in 2023 before doubling that commitment.
"It starts with the open structure and just bumping into people. Then you go upstairs into these malleable labs," Susi said. "These collaborations should result in great research outcomes."
The 189,000-square-foot building houses wet labs, dry labs and a core lab, along with open collaborative spaces including the Tinkham Veale Gateway and The Kelvin & Eleanor Smith Foundation Terrace. It is designed to be home to 65 faculty members and 300 researchers from multiple colleges and departments — not a single academic department.
"We really are very intentional about bringing people together from different disciplines, different departments, different areas to work on problems at the boundaries between those areas," Kaler said.
Researchers in the building will work across seven interdisciplinary research clusters:
- James M. Galm, PhD, PE, Electrochemical Engineering & Energy Science
- Advanced Materials & Manufacturing
- Molecular Therapeutics
- Precision Diagnostics & Therapeutics
- NeuroTechnology
- NeuroRobotics
- Climate & Ecosystem Science
Philanthropic support was central to making the project possible. Donors contributed a total of $165 million, with the remainder matched through the university's century bond program.
Susi, a self-described tinkerer and founder of multiple medical startups, is best known for developing the world's first successful vital-sign monitoring device for MRI patients. His current company, Iradimed, was named one of the nation's top 100 small companies by Forbes in 2023.
"Roger and Kayoko were among the first to support this building and to fully embrace our vision for its mission and impact on our research enterprise," Kaler said. "Their gift is truly transformational — for the Susi Interdisciplinary Research Building, for the researchers and students working in the Susi Building labs, and, importantly, for the life-changing outcomes made possible by the innovation and discovery that will occur here."
Susi's connection to Case Western Reserve goes back years. In 2019, he gave $2 million to create the Roger E. Susi First-Year Engineering Experience, a program that gives undergraduates access to a 5,000-square-foot lab for hands-on projects and serves as the foundation for a required introductory course for all engineering majors.
"If Case Western Reserve made an impact on your life, you ought to pay it ahead," Susi said.
The Susi Building opening also marks the second lead gift of the Breakthrough Point campaign, alongside a $125 million combined gift from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation and the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation announced in April.
The campaign is built around three pillars: preparing the leaders of tomorrow, powering innovation to impact, and advancing health and well-being.
Roger and Kayoko Susi are both serving on the campaign cabinet.
"Roger and Kayoko's ongoing commitment to pushing the university forward is exactly how we can support our students and faculty in breakthroughs across industries," said Fred DiSanto who is co-chairing the campaign alongside his wife, Brittan.
Looking ahead, the university is also working on plans for a potential AI hub, though a location and funding have not yet been finalized.
"Hopefully this will be an example for others," Susi said. "This is the tip of the spear that gets things up to that next level."
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