UF at a Glance
The University of Florida continues to experience rapid growth as it works toward raising its national and international stature to become a top-ranked research institution .
For fiscal year 2016 , UF saw a record $ 724 million in research awards , a 2.4 percent increase over the previous fiscal year . Over the last decade , awards are up 24 percent . About $ 451 million of the funding came from federal agencies , led by the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) with $ 178.6 million , a 17 percent increase over last year ’ s NIH total .
In addition , UF ’ s Office of Technology Licensing signed a record 122 licenses and options and launched 17 startup companies in fiscal year 2015-16 , topping the previous year ’ s total of 85 licenses by 43 percent . Officials cited a favorable economic climate , more than $ 700 million in university research and hard work by an experienced tech transfer staff as reasons for the increase .
Meanwhile , construction on campus continued at a brisk pace . Here are just a few prominent examples :
• The Herbert Wertheim Laboratory for Engineering Excellence – Destined to be the flagship building for the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering , this 84,000-square-foot , state-of-the-art research and education environment , expected to open in 2018 , will feature freshman design labs and senior capstone design courses for all departments , faculty and student “ collaboratory ” spaces , and a telepresence lab to build 21st Century communication and networking skills .
• The Chemistry / Chemical Biology Building – Known as Hernandez Hall , this building will provide approximately 100,000 square feet for modern undergraduate teaching laboratories , classrooms , teaching support , graduate research laboratories and offices . It is slated to open in early 2017 .
• The UF Health Heart & Vascular Hospital and the UF Health Neuromedicine Hospital – A $ 415 million project and expected to be completed in December 2017 , these two hospitals will give rise to the Southeast ’ s most advanced home for the care of patients with heart , vascular and neurological illnesses .
Last year saw an equally impressive amount of construction on and near campus , including Infinity Hall , home of the nation ’ s first entrepreneurial-based academic residential community . And in March 2016 , UF launched the first UF Innovation Station in Sarasota County , the first physical extension of UF ’ s Florida Engineering Experiment Station ( FLEXStation ), affording businesses and entrepreneurs unprecedented access to tech workforce talent , applied research , faculty and intellectual property .
florida . HIGH . TECH 2017 33