ORLANDO, FL – May 11, 2009 –The Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research (The Institute) recently signed cooperation agreements with five more public and private institutions in Florida.
Florida State University, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Nova Southeastern University, University of Miami and University of South Florida joined the ranks of University of Florida, University of Central Florida, Florida A&M University and Florida Atlantic University, which previously signed agreements with the Institute. These alliances aim to commercialize technologies through new venture creation based on publicly funded research.
“These partnerships bring us that much closer to fulfilling our economic development mission of creating new companies and jobs based on research conducted at Florida universities and institutes,” explained Gary Keller, Institute executive director. “Several other public and private universities and research institutions have signaled interest in working with us, and they will be coming on board in the coming months, bringing additional resources and commercially viable technologies to our portfolio.”
To hasten the growth and success of commercially viable discoveries, the Institute pairs them with seasoned entrepreneurs -- “entrepreneurs-in-residence” -- who are experienced business executives seeking their next opportunity. They work with pre-startup and startup companies emerging from state-funded research. These teams will support the necessary business development, management and funding needs required to advance these companies to the next stage toward successful development.