DARTMOUTH – The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has broken ground on a biomanufacturing center it says will provide companies with unique testing, research, production and workforce resources by expanding its life sciences cluster.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Massachusetts Accelerator for Biomanufacturing was held May 16.

“I welcome this new facility as a sign of UMass Dartmouth’s emergence as a major research enterprise within the University of Massachusetts,” said UMass President Robert L. Caret in a statement. “The MAB will build on the strengths of the UMass system, and take UMass Dartmouth to the next level in research.”

Construction will create approximately 120 jobs and 10 UMass Dartmouth employees will serve on staff. The project is slated to be completed in the fall of 2013. The university said it will be the only facility in the United States where startups will be able to test their biomanufacturing methods and bioproducts throughout development and access full-service support from business and marketing to pure science under one roof.

The commonwealth invested $14.6 million in the project through a capital grant from the Massachusetts Life Science Center. The university is investing $10 million in capital funds and another $3 million is anticipated from equipment grants and corporate donations. •