Construction began yesterday on a new building at the private National Biodiversity Institute (INBio), a research center in the Central Valley town of Santo Domingo de Heredia, thanks to a recent donation by the Korean Embassy.

The building, to be called the Center for Biodiversity Research, will house a new facility with high-tech tools dedicated to researching sustainable uses for Costa Rica's extraordinary biodiversity, according to a joint statement from the embassy and INBio. These could include the use of natural resources in the bio-technology and pharmaceutical fields.

“This will be the first stone not only in the building, but also in a relationship of collaboration and scientific exchange between Korean and Costa Rican experts in issues of mutual interest, including biodiversity and biotechnology,” said the statement.

Both countries hope the center will also provide training opportunities for Costa Rican citizens in related fields.

The Korean government donated $1 million for the building's construction and $5 million for continued research projects there, which it hopes to unravel over the course of 10 years.

-Tico Times