University of Michigan is planning a $4.38 million renovation of a North Campus Research Complex building so the facility can house an updated laboratory.

The school's Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory, a facility that will house 12 highly specialized microscopes that can perform atomic-level analysis of materials, will be located within 8,900 square feet of NCRC Building 22.

The U-M Board of Regents will vote on whether to approve the project at its monthly meeting Thursday. Once a construction project has been placed on the regents' public agenda, as the Building 22 renovation has, it is almost always unanimously approved by regents.

The lab is currently split into two buildings: the Space Research Building on north campus and the C.C. Little Science Building on central campus. According to the lab's website, the facility was originally established in 1978 with the intention of providing U-M researchers state-of-the-art equipment.

In 2009-2010, 454 people used the North Campus EMAL lab, according to university figures.

The renovation of Building 22 comes after regents approved in November a $17.5 million upgrade to a 68,000-square-foot NCRC building for medical school research and a $13.7 million renovation of a 120,000 square-foot NCRC building for health services research.

U-M purchased the 27-building, 174-acre NCRC in the summer of 2009 for $108 million.

As of mid-November there were 1,700 people working at NCRC.

Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.