The Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute Breaks Ground on the Future Home of Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience at Caltech
University and Institute founders celebrate US$200 million facility dedicated to interdisciplinary brain research
Pasadena, Calif., December 5, 2017 — Caltech today celebrated a groundbreaking for the $200 million Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Neuroscience Research Building at Caltech. The Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute (TCCI®) has committed $1 billion to brain research and this complex is the first in a series of brain initiatives the Chen family is supporting.
The complex will be the administrative home of the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, reflecting the TCCI’s mission to promote brain research focused on three areas—brain discovery, treatment and development. Construction of the 150,000 square feet complex is scheduled to begin in 2018, and is expected to be completed in late summer of 2020. Design concepts of the five-story (with three above ground and two underground levels) structure, which will have state-of-the-art facilities, housing more than 15 research labs, are still preliminary as Caltech works closely with City of Pasadena on the various design elements associated with the building. It is being designed to facilitate campus-wide collaboration, with shared labs and centralized activity areas serving scientists, engineers and researchers on interdisciplinary research.
David J. Anderson, Seymour Benzer Professor of Biology; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience Leadership Chair; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Director, TCCI® at Caltech said, “TCCI® will allow Caltech to make transformative breakthroughs in basic brain science. A new facility will provide opportunities for interactions between faculty from different fields, leading to cross-disciplinary collaborations. I’m honoured to be part of this journey.”
“Today’s ground breaking at Caltech is an exhilarating milestone for us,” said Tianqiao Chen, co-founder of Shanda and TCCI®. “We are driven by a fierce passion and a long-term commitment to uncover the mysteries of the human brain, which can ultimately improve the human experience. It’s a long-term vision that requires a conducive environment to support and stimulate unconventional thinking,” he added.
Chrissy Luo, co-founder of Shanda and TCCI® added, “We are delighted to hit this milestone in our partnership with Caltech. It’s been a year since we announced this collaboration and much progress has been made, and now we can begin the next chapter in the Institute’s formation.” 
The Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience at Caltech was established in 2016 with a gift of $115 million from philanthropists Tianqiao Chen and Chrissy Luo, who partner with world-leading universities and research institutions to transform fundamental understanding of the brain and how cognition and perception are formed.
Last month, TCCI® announced the addition of Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Brain Disease (Shanghai) in collaboration with Fudan University-affiliated Huashan Hospital and the Zhou Liangfu Medical Development Foundation. The TCCI® family of Institutes will work together to promote synergies in neuroscience research, combining the technology and intellectual resources of Caltech, and Huashan Hospital, the top neurosurgical hospital in China.
About the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute (TCCI®)
The Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute (TCCI®) was established in 2016, with the mission to promote holistic brain research focused on three areas—brain discovery, treatment and development. The Institute partners with world-leading universities and research institutions to uncover how informational input translates into behavioral output. Long-time philanthropists Tianqiao Chen and Chrissy Luo have provided funding towards medical programs for children in China and Mongolia, supported education for underprivileged families, and contributed to disaster relief and rebuild efforts in China.
About the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience at Caltech
Spearheaded by a $115 million gift from visionary philanthropists Tianqiao Chen and Chrissy Luo, Caltech and the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute (TCCI®) launched a campus-wide neuroscience initiative to create a unique environment for interdisciplinary brain research. Central to the initiative was the creation of the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience at Caltech, where research investigations span a continuum, from deciphering the basic biology of the brain to understanding sensation, perception, cognition, and human behavior, with the goal of making transformational advances that will inform new scientific tools and medical treatments.