Accelerating Collaborative Research + Innovation

Connecting Industry Partners with Research Universities through Matching Grants

The Florida High Tech Corridor’s Matching Grants Research Program (MGRP) fosters applied research between industry partners, and faculty and student researchers at the University of Central Florida and University of South Florida. Our grants directly fund the work of expert faculty and create an opportunity for their students to participate in collaborative research with industry partners in the 23-county region.

How It Works

1

Partner: Program directors are here to help facilitate a connection between industry partners and university researchers at UCF and/or USF, and advise on project eligibility and compliance requirements.

2

Complete the Application: Industry partners and university researchers agree upon a project plan and budget, and complete The Corridor’s matching grant application collaboratively. We accept applications on a rolling basis.

3

Outside Review: All applications are reviewed by an outside committee of economic development professionals and regional stakeholders.

4

Make it Official: Upon committee approval, the industry partner executes a sponsored research agreement with the university to formalize a project plan and terms.

5

Get to Work: We distribute funds of up to $150,000 directly to the university research team, matching cash and in-kind investments.

Research Priorities

Participation in the program is competitive. The Corridor prioritizes projects that:

 

  • Generate new intellectual property or technology
  • Develop and commercialize university technology
  • Provide a tangible impact for the industry partner
  • Advance strategic research areas of our universities and industry clusters
  • Engage new industry or faculty participants
  • Leverage federal funding (i.e., SBIR, STTR)
  • Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration
  • Provide research experiences for students and fellows

Benefits and Impact

This program provides a cost-effective way for industry partners to access the expertise of renowned researchers, build relationships with students who may someday become employees, and conduct solution-driven research and development with the opportunity to solve society’s most difficult challenges.

To learn more and apply, please contact us directly:

Jennifer McKinley
Program Director, University of Central Florida
jennifer.mckinley@ucf.edu

Elizabeth Nelson
Program Director, University of South Florida System
ernelson1@usf.edu