Northwest Florida Entrepreneurs Spark Innovation

Northwest Florida is home to several institutes and industry councils that are fostering innovation in the region to enhance business growth. Some examples are the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, the Air Force Research Lab, and the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. These institutes have created everything from advanced robotics to hypersonic projectiles, to stronger yielding food products. Northwest Florida’s strategic focus on entrepreneurship and innovation will continue to enhance growth in the region. 

For instance, an agglomeration of business leaders in Northwest Florida will soon be licensing MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service to provide mentoring to local entrepreneurs, which will assist their businesses in areas from product development to intellectual property law. The region’s business leaders are investing back into the community to help further create jobs in advanced manufacturing to high tech.  Read More.

  The Doolittle Institute is advancing Military Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Northwest Florida is helping local engineering and technology professionals take their innovative products to the commercial market. The region provides innovators with access to coaching, product development equipment, venture capital and angel funding, and resources to help them license their technology. For instance, the Doolittle Institute is working with the Small Business and Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs to develop workshops and collaborative events to connect Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) personnel to outside businesses.