High Tech Industry

Life Sciences/Medical Technologies

The Corridor’s medical technology sector is one of the country’s most vibrant – consisting of life sciences, bioscience, pharmaceuticals, electromedical and device manufacturers, specialized medical information technology and biotechnology.  With more than 200 companies and 10,000+ employees, the region is becoming a world-class biotech hub.

Dr. Dennis Steindler“The whole concept of regenerative medicine is brand new.  We are opening the doors to launch new companies and facility agreements with pharmaceutical companies for a variety of human diseases, all from right here in Gainesville.”

Dr. Dennis Steindler Executive Director, UF’s McKnight Brain Institute

Anchoring the region’s biotech cluster are leading research institutions, including the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, a nonprofit institute dedicated to revealing the fundamental molecular causes of disease and devising innovative therapies; SRI International Inc., one of the world’s leading independent research and technology development organizations; and, Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc., a Boston-based nonprofit engineering research and development lab.  In addition, the Corridor is also home to the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, recognized as a leading cancer treatment and research organization.

A business-friendly climate and plenty of affordable lab and office space to meet the needs of life sciences companies at all levels of development have the Corridor poised to continue expanding its life sciences cluster.  In fact, the Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator near UF in Alachua was recognized as the number two technology incubator in the world by the National Business Incubation Association in 2007, and the UCF Technology Incubator and USF CONNECT’s Tampa Bay Technology Incubator are also key biotech facilities. 

From an innovative method of pharmaceutical production utilizing tobacco leaves at UCF’s College of Medicine Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, to protecting the nation and its citizens against emerging biological threats at USF’s Southeast Regional Center for Biological Defense, to an experimental study blending clinical transplant medicine and stem cell biology for the Regeneration Project at UF’s McKnight Brain Institute, organizations throughout the Florida High Tech Corridor are positioning the region as a thriving hub for life sciences.