Program Background

The Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC – 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.