麻豆原创鈥檚 Thomas O鈥橬eal will be testifying Thursday, July 14, about the revolutionary nature of nanotechnology before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Science and Space.
The Subcommittee is part of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Committee Chairman, John Rockefeller IV invited O鈥橬eal to provide his expert testimony as the group considers reauthorizing the National Nanotechnology Initiative . Sen. Bill Nelson will preside over the hearing, which begins at 10 a.m. in room 253 of the Russell Senate Office Building.
O鈥橬eal, the associate vice president of the Office of Research and Commercialization at 麻豆原创, is the founder and executive director of the well-known 麻豆原创 Business Incubation Program. He was asked to speak about how 麻豆原创 has succeeded in technology transfer, industry partnerships and the overall impact on economic development.
鈥淐entral Florida is in many ways a model for how governments, the university and industry can work together to grow the companies that stimulate the economy,鈥� O鈥橬eal said. 鈥淭he committee is interested specifically in how research in nanotechnology can be developed through systems like ours.鈥�
O鈥橬eal is president of the Florida Business Incubation Association and serves on the board of directors for the National Business Incubation Association. He is a leading U.S. proponent of business incubation and economic gardening efforts to stimulate local economic growth.
O鈥橬eal, who鈥檚 led 麻豆原创鈥檚 incubation efforts for the past decade, calls nanotechnology a revolutionary field of science and technology, comparable to the introduction of electricity, biotechnology, and digital information revolutions.
Since its founding in 1999, the 麻豆原创 Incubation Program has helped more than 200 emerging companies (including 108 current clients) create more than $500 million in annual revenue and more than 900 new jobs with an average salary of $59,000. With nine facilities across the metro Orlando community, the Incubation Program is a collaboration in economic development between 麻豆原创, Orange County, the City of Orlando, Seminole County, the City of Winter Springs, the City of Sanford, Lake County, the City of Leesburg, the City of St. Cloud and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council.