As the inventor of Gatorade, Sentricon and other household names, the University of Florida is a powerhouse in innovation.
UF has launched 193 startups in the past 15 years, with 17 startups based on UF research discoveries in fiscal year 2016 alone. According to the most recent statistics from the Association of University Technology Managers, UF ranked eighth in the nation for startups in the 2013-14 fiscal year and seventh for licenses and options, and eighth among leaders in life-science technology transfer, ranking among the University of California and Texas systems. In life sciences, UF ranked 10th in licenses and options executed, just ahead of the California Institute of Technology.
The UF Innovation Hub fosters an innovation ecosystem that nurtures technology startups with the resources and expertise they need to thrive, creating jobs and economic prosperity. As an all-inclusive startup incubator, the Innovation Hub provides inexpensive, state-of-the-art laboratory and office space as well as collision space, mentoring and resident partners to help bring discoveries out of the lab and into our lives. Innovation Hub startups have created more than 800 jobs and raised over $67 million in public and private funds.
The hub is part of Innovation Square, a 40-acre live-work-play community between the UF campus and downtown Gainesville that enhances collaboration between the private sector and the university. Construction is under way to double its size, with the 2017 debut of Phase II, supported by an $8 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and $9 million from UF. The expansion adds 48,000 square feet for technology startups and a Collaboratory for Women Innovators, aimed at capitalizing on the established ecosystem to inspire, educate and empower more women to attain leadership roles in all phases of the innovation life cycle.
