Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/110509
���The most important part was the physical possibility to test ideas and to get proof of concept,��� said Dr. Alexander Oliferenko, chief science officer for EigenChem Technologies Inc., a client of UF���s Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator developing applications for the cleantech and biotech business sectors. ���For a small company in its very early stage, it is important to focus solely on research, while the incubator acts as an umbrella organization that takes care of the hardware, utility, Internet access and permits, as well as intangible assets like networking, education and good advice.��� D Neill -M areci While the Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator at UF offers shared lab space and access to equipment, its location not far from campus allowed medical diagnostic startup Banyan Biomarkers the opportunity to collaborate extensively with university researchers to conduct several clinical studies involving the departments of Emergency Medicine, Anesthesiology and Biomedical Engineering. Similarly, AxoGen started in the incubator with licensed technology from UF focused on surgical peripheral nerve repair. ebra University Connections Drive Tech Startups Conversing over results in a common equipment room at the Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator Florida Innovation Hub at University of Florida C hristee ne B rin kley USF CONNECT offers its incubator clients individualized lab space ���Early on we benefited from the lab facilities and access to shared equipment,��� said Jill Schiaparelli, senior vice president of business strategy & marketing at AxoGen. ���We continued to partner with Dr. David Muir���s lab at the McKnight Brain Institute to conduct product development and refinement work with the same scientific team that developed the technology.��� As the very first company to locate in what is now USF���s Tampa Bay Technology Incubator, the microwave/ RF design simulation company Modelithics was founded by two USF faculty members that aimed to take advantage of their proximity to campus resources. ���We both wanted to retain our positions in the department to stay connected with USF,��� said Larry Dunleavy, president & CEO of Modelithics, who founded the company with fellow electrical engineering associate professor Thomas Weller. ���As faculty, we knew about the equipment and worked with professors to get access to labs, find interns and new hires, and learn about funding opportunities.��� Those connections introduced Modelithics to the Florida High Tech Corridor Council���s Matching Grants Research Program, and over the 10 years it���s been in business, Modelithics has participated in eight projects totaling nearly $500,000 in company funds and FHTCC dollars to support faculty and student researchers. florida.HIGH.TECH 2013 fht_incubation_2013.indd 35 35 2/12/13 1:18 PM