UNC Charlotte is set to break ground this month on a building it hopes will become a hub of research and innovation that benefits the region.

Known as the PORTAL building, the $37 million project is the latest significant development for the nearly 10-year-old Charlotte Research Institute, the university's link to research, academia and the business community.

The groundbreaking is set for Dec. 15. The 95,000-square-foot building, off North Tryon Street by the entrance to the institute's campus, should open by late 2013 or early 2014.

The institute envisions the building housing private research and development teams and large-scale research projects. No companies have committed to leasing space.

But once full, at any one time, the building could hold as many as eight research and development teams from large companies, 25 fledgling businesses, a dozen student-driven enterprises and a larger university research project.

"Having these companies so close to a community of entrepreneurial, aggressive students and talented faculty will increase the ability to attract these companies to Charlotte," said Robert Wilhelm, UNCC vice chancellor for research and economic development.

The new building also will house the Ben Craig Center business incubator. The center, which recently celebrated its 25th year, houses about two dozen small businesses.

"This is a whole new level of commitment to university and corporate partnerships, whether it's a two-person startup or a large, established company," center President Paul Wetenhall said. "It's unpredictable what will come from that, but when you bring the intellectual property creation capabilities of the university and the execution properties of the private sector, you get some really good outcomes from that in terms of job creation."

In its new space, the center hopes to focus more on fostering innovation-centered businesses, Wetenhall said.

Work on the project began in 2007, with the vision of being a portal for collaborations between businesses and the university. Later, the university came up with an acronym to fit: Partnership, Outreach, and Research for Accelerated Learning.

Design work was largely complete in 2010, but uncertain financing slowed the project. UNCC Chancellor Philip Dubois gave it the go-ahead this year.

Construction money from the state legislature has been tight in recent years, but Wilhelm said the PORTAL building's financing will come from the university's budget.

Four of the six design firms that will work on the building are Charlotte-based. The construction manager, Edifice Inc., is based in Charlotte as well.

"It is a significantly sized project," said Mike Carlisto, project executive in charge. "Any project over $20 million these days is nice to have. But for us, it's a very important project."

The design will be fairly generic, Wilhelm said, to be able to adapt to different needs. One unusual component: a 10,000-square-foot facility designed to protect sensitive information.

The new building reflects the university's emphasis on private-sector partnerships and research. UNCC already has a number of partnerships with researchers and businesses, in fields ranging from manufacturing to data security.

The new building will add capacity and allow the university to better group teams, Wilhelm said.

UNCC also has placed greater emphasis on fostering entrepreneurship and business development in recent years, a theme shared by several of the larger universities in the statewide system.

UNCC also has supported the similarly focused N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis. Rather than competing with that location, Wilhelm said he hopes the PORTAL building becomes one more research hub along an increasingly developed Interstate 85 corridor between south Charlotte and Kannapolis.