YEAR IN REVIEW
President’s letter
Dear Fellow Floridians:
When the Florida High Tech Corridor was
• Florida Trend highlighted The Corridor in a feature section putting a
created by the Florida Legislature in 1996,
spotlight on university and private industry research, high tech business
our supporters were visionaries who saw the
developments and educational programs across the region, plus
potential of such collaboration, but perhaps
provided our partners another tool to help share The Corridor story with
none of us could foresee the extent to which
others.
The Corridor would help transform the state’s
economic landscape. Over 20 years, a
• The research of our region’s inventors was brought into the spotlight when
high tech region coalesced and has been
seven professors from Corridor universities were inducted into the National
recognized internationally, driving innovation
Academy of Inventors in March 2015.
in Florida and contributing millions of dollars
in research and development expenditures
• Our three Corridor research universities – the University of Central Florida,
the University of South Florida and the University of Florida – individually
annually.
ranked in the top 30 of worldwide universities granted U.S. patents in 2014,
The Corridor has grown to such success
according to a report by the National Academy of Inventors and the
because of partners who devote countless
Intellectual Property Owners Association. Collectively, the three Corridor
hours to growing high tech industry and
universities beat out the patent portfolios of university groups in the other
innovation in the 23-county Corridor. Their
established and well-recognized high tech hubs of North Carolina’s
work has resulted in these accolades over
Research Triangle and Austin’s Silicon Hills region.
the past year:
These are just a few recent critical steps that mark our two unique decades
• The Corridor’s Matching Grants Research
of achievement in strengthening Florida’s innovation economy. Further
Program was honored by the State
details lie ahead in The Corridor’s annual report. Thank you for your part in
Science and Technology Institute with a
growing The Corridor – big or small.
2015 Excellence in Tech Based Economic
Development award for strides in “Expanding
Best regards,
Research Capacity.” The Corridor’s program
won the award among entries from across
the nation demonstrating a unique approach
to university and private industry research in
our region.
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florida.HIGH.TECH 2016
Randy Berridge, President