In late January, 2010, the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Council for Economic Outreach unveiled Innovation Gainesville, implementing initiatives related to innovation capacity building and knowledge economy expansion. This plan is the culmination of six months of collaboration between hundreds of individuals working together in an unprecedented approach to transform Gainesville's economy by connecting our rich and abundant capabilities for specific and measurable results.

Innovation Gainesville is focused on making Greater Gainesville the national hub for two key areas – Health Technology and Green Technology. While these are hot areas of focus internationally, Health and Green Technologies were not chosen because they are today's buzz words. Gainesville has these resources in place now. We are ahead of the game and now is the time to leverage and expand our strengths.

Our area's Health Science (Biotechnology, Devices, Pharmaceuticals, Clinical Studies) capabilities include the significant research and licensing engine at the University, the College of Medicine’s nationally ranked programs in sports medicine and studies of the aging, the existing cluster of biotechnology and Medical Device companies in the area, and Santa Fe College’s demonstrated ability to quickly educate skilled employees necessary for entrepreneurs to seize market share in the health and life sciences. Gainesville's Green Technology (Alternative energy/transportation, clean/green agriculture, environmental services, smart infrastructure) resources include the significant research and licensing engine at the University of Florida, IFAS, the existing cluster of Environmental Services companies in the area and Santa Fe’s practice of integrating sustainability into its entire liberal arts and technical curricula.

We recognize the unique capabilities of our academic strength, the private sector, entrepreneurial institutions, the arts community and individuals descriptive of the creative class. To leverage the skills and successes of each of these, we are establishing a “Collaboratory”, connecting and networking teams of product designers, engineers, researchers, educated and accomplished individuals and end-user customers to lead the Nation in next-generation devices, services and digital media.

We’ve done this to formalize informal networks to more effectively and efficiently leverage interdisciplinary and experiential know-how, know-what and know-whom. We wanted to formalize the platforms for utilizing regional resources and to better position Gainesville as a “go-to” location for National Grand Challenges. A perfect fit for the Google broadband initiative!

Those involved include Academic Leadership, Deans, Researchers, Engineers, Creative and Industrial Designers, Entrepreneurs, Investors, Civic-minded leaders – anyone that has considered the need for a higher level of next-step product creation. It is a both a virtual and tangible tool that will leverage the existing and emerging incubators, the Florida Innovation Hub at the University of Florida and both the traditional and non-traditional creative locations that abound in our beautiful city. Innovation Gainesville provides the ecosystem and culture for innovation. Through the Collaboratory, we are able to deliver products and market share.

Gainesville/Alachua County has continued to receive high levels of federal research and development funding, helping to build the numerous local research initiatives and institutes, primarily associated with the University of Florida, which continues to produce awards, licenses and patents. The region has particular strengths within the Life Sciences, a nationally growing and knowledge-intensive field.

The federal government routinely injects money into a regional economy that has the capacity to study and develop new science of national interest. The recipients of funding from federal agencies are often centers of higher education such as state research universities. While directly contributing to the economy as an initial investment in scientific talent and equipment, federal funding also creates the potential for patent creation, startup formation, and commercialization of new products. Ultimately, new businesses and economic growth are a long-term result of federally funded research.

Federal funding is an important measure of research and development activity within a region. Analyzing R&D activity within a region creates a clear picture of the local intellectual and educational competencies which can be connected to an established or emerging industry based of complementary industries and companies.

On a regional level, patent data measures a region’s ability to produce new technologies and validate them. Patents are important because they are often the precursor to commercializing new technology. Again, a perfect match for GOOGLE! They are also an important indication of the degree to which research activity has been translated into new products, services, or processes. Patents are assigned to the zip-code of the inventor, i.e. the individual, not the company location. This will result in patents being assigned to the counties where workers live rather than where they work.

The University of Florida and other regional organizations haveclearly identified technology transfer as a high priority and have put into place many of the partnerships and programs necessary to bring research and ideas to the marketplace. The regional strength in this stage can be clearly seen in the nationally recognized success of the Gainesville Technology Enterprise Center and the Sid Martin Biotechnology Center – ranked #1 Biotech Incubator in the United States and #2 in the world.

The University of Florida has a premier research and development system, with a specific focus on commercialization of applied technologies. The Milken Institute ranked University of Florida’s technology transfer program 5th among American universities in 2006. In 2008, UF received over $560 million in sponsored research funding, with 6,799 active projects, and thousands of awards. Notable recent research initiatives include:

• Florida Institute for Sustainable Energy – Energy Technology Incubator. This State Center of Excellence includes a biofuel pilot plant and prototype development laboratory, focused on converting research into workable technologies.
• The Emerging Pathogens Institute - This institute takes an interdisciplinary approach to pathogens, focusing on their global effects on humans, animals, and plants.
• The University of Florida Water Institute - As droughts and water shortages become of increasing concern around the country and the globe, this institute brings together researchers, industry leaders, and public policy groups to address common goals and solutions in water policy.

The effectiveness of commercialization regionally can be seen in the numerous start-ups that have been brought to market through the local incubation system. Start-ups have been able to consistently receive high levels of funding, and companies have made it to market within the Gainesville area, partly with the support of a large regional professional services industry.

With strong funding, research capabilities, patents, and business incubators, Gainesville is well positioned to continue growing as a Knowledge Economy: creating jobs, expanding and retaining existing businesses, and attracting new companies to the region. This ecosystem creates the perfect environment for Google to best understand and see applications of a high-speed network.

The Cade Museum for Innovation and Invention will be built in Gainesville. The museum is named for James Robert Cade, the physician, musician, researcher and inventor best known for leading the University of Florida team that created Gatorade. The mission of the Cade Museum is to promote a culture of creativity and innovation. In particular, the programs and the exhibits focus on:

• America's unique national legacy of innovation
• The brain science behind creative thought
• Inventors and their stories
• Current inventions and technologies
• The inventive process from idea conceptualization to commercialization

The Florida Innovation Hub at the University of Florida is a 45,000-square-foot facility that will nurture start-up companies and also become home to the university’s main commercialization efforts. The building is scheduled for completion by December 2011. Programs and activities at the hub will bring together entrepreneurs, investors, students and service providers to maximize the university’s ability to create technology-based companies for purposes of commercializing more of the research conducted at UF. The hub will provide technology start-up companies connected with the university with office space, laboratories, conference rooms and other capabilities.

The federal Economic Development Administration has awarded the University of Florida an $8.2 million grant to help create the Florida Innovation Hub at UF, a facility officials describe as a “super incubator.” “The hub will serve as a catalyst to get innovation from university laboratories into the marketplace, where it can have an impact on the world while creating jobs in Florida,” said UF President Bernie Machen, who noted that the university is contributing an additional $5 million in support.

“The Florida Innovation Hub is more than a bricks-and-mortar undertaking,” said David Day, director of the Office of Technology Licensing. “ We envision this project will enable us to create numerous start-up companies that will locate in the Gainesville area as well as throughout the state.”

Additionally, UF and 6 collaborating institutions were awarded a grant for $12.2 million to develop a new type of networking system to link scientific researchers around the world.

UF College of Journalism and Communications constructed the Center for Media Innovation and Research—a state-of-the-art multimillion dollar newsroom and laboratory—designed for the media's digital revolution.