The University of Notre Dame has announced a $35 million gift by Douglas and Diana Berthiaume to establish a new Center for Biomedical Discovery.
The gift will “advance biomedical research through strategic investments in critical infrastructure,” according to a University press release.
$5 million of the total gift will be used as seed funding for multidisciplinary research teams across the College of Science and College of Engineering.
The Center for Biomedical Discovery will be housed within the University’s Bioengineering & Life Sciences Initiative, a key priority in Notre Dame’s strategic framework. The BELS Initiative has awarded over $1 million in seed funding since it was established in March 2025.
The Berthiaumes’ gift is the largest donation to the BELS Initiative to date. The University’s goal is to invest $165 million in the BELS Initiative, which has three strategic research pillars: health foundations, health technologies and health equities.
According to the University’s press release, the center “will support researchers with centralized access to cutting-edge technologies such as high-resolution cryo-transmission electron microscopy, modern flow cytometry and advanced biofabrication capabilities.”
The Berthiaumes previously made gifts to Notre Dame to establish an endowed professorship of neuroscience and the Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health.
Before his retirement, Douglas Berthiaume served as president and CEO of Waters Corp., a Massachusetts-based analytical laboratory instrument manufacturing company.
Both Douglas and Diana Berthiaume are members of the University’s President’s Circle and the Provost’s Leadership Group. One of their two children is a graduate of Notre Dame.
