{"id":6587,"date":"2025-10-16T14:02:16","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T14:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/6587\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T14:02:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T14:02:16","slug":"usf-florida-high-tech-corridor-expand-innovation-footprint-through-partnership-with-the-ark-innovation-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/6587\/","title":{"rendered":"USF, Florida High Tech Corridor expand innovation footprint through partnership with the ARK Innovation Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Tina Meketa<\/a>, University Communications and Marketing<\/p>\n

The University of South Florida and the Florida High Tech Corridor<\/a> are joining the ARK Innovation Center, creating a new avenue for startups and entrepreneurs
\n to connect and collaborate with the university\u2019s research and innovation expertise
\n as well as its talent pipeline.<\/p>\n

In collaboration with the Florida High Tech Corridor, USF\u2019s Institute of Applied Engineering<\/a> will establish a presence at the state-of-the-art ARK Innovation Center<\/a> in St. Petersburg, which serves as a launchpad for early-stage companies focused
\n on disruptive technologies such as machine learning, energy, fintech, artificial intelligence
\n and blockchain.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur partnership with USF\u2019s Institute of Applied Engineering and the Florida High
\n Tech Corridor brings world-class research and applied innovation directly into the
\n ARK Innovation Center,\u201d said Becca Brown, president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Innovation
\n Center, an incubator based at the ARK Innovation Center. \u201cTogether, we\u2019re creating
\n a living lab where academia, industry and entrepreneurs collaborate to turn breakthrough
\n ideas into real-world impact. We are thrilled about this partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n

The initiative will create opportunities for startups located at the center to participate
\n in events, programming and services hosted by USF and the Corridor, along with concierge
\n services connecting entrepreneurs with USF faculty, research centers and departments,
\n including USF Technology Transfer, which manages the university\u2019s intellectual property
\n portfolio. Companies will also have opportunities to establish student internships
\n with USF, as well as research and development partnerships through the Corridor\u2019s
\n Matching Grants Research Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cPartnering with the ARK Innovation Center aligns with the Corridor\u2019s mission to advance
\n innovation across our 23-county region,\u201d said Paul Sohl, CEO of the Florida High Tech
\n Corridor. \u201cThis unique center, in the heart of one of Florida\u2019s most dynamic innovation
\n hubs, is a launchpad for collaboration between inventors, entrepreneurs, researchers
\n and industry leaders who are coming together to solve problems and shape the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

The location also brings the Institute of Applied Engineering \u2013 which focuses on specialty
\n projects for national security and dual-use technologies for government and civilian
\n contractors \u2013 closer to a rapidly expanding maritime and defense hub. St. Petersburg
\n is home to a thriving cluster of private companies, government entities and academic
\n institutions addressing maritime and national security needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur collaboration with the ARK Innovation Center is about accelerating defense innovation
\n from concept to capability,\u201d said Darren Schumacher, president and CEO of the USF
\n Institute of Applied Engineering. \u201cBy linking the Institute of Applied Engineering\u2019s
\n applied research and prototyping expertise with ARK\u2019s entrepreneurial and technology
\n ecosystem, we\u2019re strengthening the pathway for dual-use solutions that serve both
\n national security and commercial markets. This partnership reflects Tampa Bay\u2019s growing
\n role as a hub for mission-driven innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ARK Innovation Center, which opened in early 2024, was launched through a partnership
\n between ARK Invest \u2014 the global asset management firm founded by Cathie Wood \u2013 with
\n its focus on backing the technologies driving disruptive innovation. She joined the
\n Tampa Bay Innovation Center, Pinellas County, the city of St. Petersburg and federal
\n partners in the mission to accelerate growth of early-stage tech and innovation ventures
\n by providing mentorship, collaborative workspace, prototyping labs, coaching and access
\n to capital.<\/p>\n

The new partnership also is one of several examples of greater connection and collaboration
\n among the drivers of innovation across the Tampa Bay region. \u00a0In July, USF was selected
\n to become the first university to join Embarc Collective\u2019s new University Partnership Program<\/a> and in September, it signed a contract with the U.S. Army<\/a> for up to $85 million to conduct a wide range of research, including cybersecurity,
\n biotechnology and energy sciences.<\/p>\n

In St. Petersburg, USF and the Corridor regularly collaborate with the St. Peterburg Innovation District<\/a> and Tampa Bay Wave<\/a>, including on The Continuum<\/a> \u2014 a $13.9 million grant from the NOAA Ocean Enterprise Accelerators program<\/a> to tackle critical challenges impacting our ocean, coastal communities and economy
\n through the Wave\u2019s Blue Tech | X Accelerator<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To learn more about opportunities to collaborate or access resources at the ARK Innovation
\n Center, contact the USF Office of University Community Partnerships.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Tina Meketa, University Communications and Marketing The University of South Florida and the Florida High Tech Corridor…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6588,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-6587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6587"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6587\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}