The Florida High Tech Corridor Council Matching Funds Research Program at the University of Florida
Program Background
The Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC
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www.floridahightech.com) was established by the Florida
Legislature in 1996 to attract, retain and grow high tech
industry and to help develop the workforce to support those
industries in the service areas of the University of Central
Florida and the University of South Florida. In 2005, the FHTCC
was expanded to include the University of Florida (UF) as the
third partner of this unique economic development initiative,
merging the strengths of three world-class universities and
bringing the number of Corridor counties to 23 including
Alachua, Putnam, Levy, Marion, Flagler, Citrus, Sumter, Lake,
Volusia, Seminole, Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Hernando,
Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, De Soto,
Hardee, and Highlands.
FHTCC’s primary focus is to foster applied research between the partner universities and their high tech industry partners in these counties. During its first eight years, FHTCC and its industry partners have provided more than $120 million to research and development projects that benefit 215 companies in support of more than 550 research projects engaging 1,000 graduate and doctoral students and research assistants and 300 faculty members in side-by-side research with company scientists and engineers.
