Counterpoint:

A financial merger of Rice with BCM will not create any new research space for Rice researchers or new interdisciplinary programs.  This might have been true if Baylor had a lot of unused lab space or if Rice had not built the BRC facility, which still has a lot of unfinished lab space.  Thus, a claim that the merger will strengthen the research infrastructure through “a fourfold increase in total research space” does not make much sense.

With the exception of providing access to animal or genome sequencing facilities, or (perhaps) BCM’s electronic system for compliance with Federal regulations, it is not clear why the merger by itself would yield an enhanced research infrastructure for the broader Rice community.  And, these enhancements will benefit only a small fraction of Rice researchers.

A financial merger cannot by itself solve infrastructure problems. Consider, for example, research computing. Both Rice and BCM are currently short on data-center space for research computing. Only an increased investment in research-computing facilities can improve this infrastructure.

Point:

From the Rice-BCM site - Question 3

A merger would strengthen the research infrastructure available to Rice and Baylor faculty. These improvements include both the increased quality of research services, such as administration systems for proposal development and technology transfer, as well as enhanced access to core BCM facilities and a fourfold increase in total research space.

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