A former congressman says he is outraged by news that The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla may merge with or be acquired by the University of Southern California, it was reported Tuesday.
The two said in a statement to U-T San Diego that they were “discussing the possibility of a relationship that would enhance the missions of both institutions.”
“TSRI and USC have a shared commitment to academic excellence that will result in meaningful breakthroughs to improve health and well-being,” according to the statement. The merger is seen mostly as a way to rev up funding in the face of stiff competition for federal dollars and increasing pension and other costs.
But the report brought harsh criticism from Florida, where Scripps operates an outpost in the city of Jupiter.
“The merger talks rankled Mark Foley, a former congressman from West Palm Beach who helped recruit Scripps to Florida,” reported the Palm Beach Post. “He noted that the state recently approved $3 million to make up for reduced grants from the National Institutes of Health to Scripps Florida.”
“I am outraged by this announcement and find it unacceptable based on several factors, including a recent large state appropriation without any of Scripps’ people even bothering to mention that negotiations have been ongoing for some time,” Foley was quoted as saying. “I think this deserves an investigation and a freezing of the state monies before a check is written.”
When Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announced The Scripps Research Institute’s expansion to Palm Beach County in October 2003, “he touted an economic impact study that said the investment in Scripps would spawn some 6,500 spinoff jobs and create as many as 50,000 high-paying jobs statewide in 15 years. Only two spinoff companies have been launched from Scripps’ research,” the paper said.
Scripps told the Palm Beach Post on Tuesday that its Jupiter lab would continue to operate.
“Any agreement with USC would maintain Scripps’s unique scientific culture and its commitment to the Florida campus’s continued presence and vitality in the state,” Scripps said in a statement. “As it has for the last 10 years, Scripps will honor all contracts and commitments in its partnership with the state and county.”
Two Scripps Research professors told U-T San Diego that news of the potential merger or acquisition emerged last week.
If ultimately approved, the rare merger could benefit both institutions, according to U-T San Diego. The merger would allow the Scripps Research Institute to receive less of its $310 million annual operating budget — which includes funding for a second campus in Florida — from the National Institutes of Health, and would add to USC’s prestigious life-science institutes.
Whether the research institute could raise the money it needs without merging with USC remains to be seen. U-T San Diego reported Scripps has not received many large private donations over the years — but local philanthropists have been known to donate badly needed funds.
— City News Service contributed to this report.