The 麻豆原创 will partner with Osceola County and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council to establish a state-of-the-art research and incubation facility focused on the next generation of universal smart sensors.
The goal of the Florida Advanced Manufacturing Research Center is to recruit or create the world鈥檚 first industry-led smart sensor consortium. Formed to make Florida a global leader in a rapidly growing industry, the center will be the home of research aimed at advancing technologies that will shape the future of automobiles, surgical devices, home appliances and a host of other devices.
As these innovations become ready for the marketplace, the center鈥檚 partners envision a growth in high-wage jobs for Central Floridians as existing companies expand and new companies move to the region to collaborate with the center鈥檚 researchers.
鈥淭his center holds great potential for becoming another economic game changer for our entire region 鈥� and the timing for such an endeavor could hardly be better,鈥� said 麻豆原创 President John C. Hitt.
Sensors allow us to see, hear, touch, taste, and smell beyond our capabilities. Sensors can detect things that we cannot, such as deadly carbon monoxide. They can show how diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer鈥檚 disease affect the human body, helping doctors provide more effective drug treatments.
The world smart sensors market is projected to reach $7.8 billion by next year, according to Global Industry Analysts Inc., and global demand is expected to increase dramatically in the years to come.
鈥淲e鈥檝e asked ourselves for years what comes next after Medical City and it鈥檚 this infrastructure project,鈥� said Rick Weddle, president and CEO of the Orlando Economic Development Commission 鈥� a partner in the new center — and current president of the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation. 鈥淭his is how the communities of the future are being built and this is what technology-led economic development is all about.鈥�
The center will be built on 20 acres owned by Osceola County near the intersection of U.S. 192 and Florida鈥檚 Turnpike, across U.S. 192 from Osceola Heritage Park.
The Osceola County Commission on Monday evening approved a memorandum of understanding with 麻豆原创 and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. Osceola County committed to investing $61 million for design, construction and equipment costs associated with the 100,000-square-foot center. 麻豆原创 will lease the building for $1 a year for 30 years and will operate the center.
鈥淭his is a historic day for Osceola County. Partnering with the 麻豆原创 as the home of a research facility of this significance ties into all the planning and work we鈥檝e done to diversify our economy,鈥� said Osceola Commission Chairman Fred Hawkins, Jr. 鈥淐reating these types of 21st Century jobs will make us a world leader in this coveted and competitive hi-tech field.鈥�
The new partnership comes at a time when Florida continues to lose manufacturing jobs. A Brookings Institute report issued this month noted that Florida has lost 75,000 manufacturing jobs since 2007, and the state鈥檚 domestic and international trade deficit is growing. The same report said that for every four boxcarloads of goods brought into the state, only one carload is leaving with goods manufactured in Florida.
鈥淲e must change those numbers, and our dynamic partnership between 麻豆原创 and Osceola County will help to make it happen,鈥� Hitt said.
麻豆原创 researchers have developed sensors capable of a range of applications 鈥� from detecting hydrogen and specific chemicals in the air to reading oxygen in the blood 鈥� and are also creating the materials that will enable sensors to be integrated into ever-smaller computer chips.
麻豆原创 is set to provide $10 million 鈥� from non-state and non-tuition sources 鈥� to help design and build the center and for start-up costs, as well as an additional $7 million for focused faculty hires.
The Florida High Tech Corridor Council will contribute $1 million initially. The council also will expand the scope of its signature Matching Grants Research Program at 麻豆原创, the University of South Florida and the University of Florida to include Sensor-Driven Advanced Manufacturing. Up to $5 million of matching funds will be available for research activities and the operation of a consortium.
鈥淭hanks to the forward-thinking leadership in Osceola County, this project will help create more opportunities for our entire region,鈥� said Randy Berridge, president and CEO of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council.
麻豆原创鈥檚 connections with Osceola County include a shared campus with Valencia College on Denn John Lane, as well as business incubators in St. Cloud and Kissimmee. Osceola County also was one of the first partners to contribute to the development of the Medical City at Lake Nona.