House Bill hb1937
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 HB 1937
By the Committee on Information Technology and
Representatives Hart, Mack, Mealor, Gannon, Jennings, Ausley
and Green
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to technology development;
3 creating s. 240.72, F.S.; creating the "Florida
4 Technology Development Act"; providing for
5 centers of excellence within the State
6 University System; providing functions of the
7 centers; creating the Emerging Technology
8 Commission; providing membership, powers, and
9 duties of the commission; providing meeting
10 requirements; providing for submittal of
11 proposals for the centers from state
12 universities to the commission; providing for
13 preparation and submission of proposals from
14 the commission to the State Board of Education;
15 providing for the Florida Research Consortium,
16 Inc., to develop performance criteria for the
17 commission to consider; providing for proposal
18 approval by the board; providing a timeframe;
19 providing for expiration of the commission;
20 providing an appropriation; providing an
21 effective date.
22
23 WHEREAS, the commercialization of technologies
24 developed in academic laboratories and research centers
25 through the application of new innovations is critical for
26 Florida to maintain a competitive economy, and
27 WHEREAS, the development of high-technology industries
28 in Florida, including artificial intelligence/human-centered
29 computing, information technology and communications,
30 biotechnology, bioinformatics, biomedical, electro-optics,
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 HB 1937
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1 life science, nanotechnology, and computer simulation, is
2 critical to the long-term economic vitality of this state, and
3 WHEREAS, high-technology industries will further
4 diversify and strengthen the Florida economy and complement
5 industries already recognized as being critical to Florida's
6 economic health, and
7 WHEREAS, attracting leading scholars and researchers in
8 advanced and emerging technology disciplines to Florida's
9 universities is critical to building Florida's knowledge base,
10 and
11 WHEREAS, promoting collaboration among academic and
12 industrial researchers, scientists, and engineers is essential
13 to the process of commercializing knowledge gained through
14 applied research, and
15 WHEREAS, centers of excellence within, and in
16 collaboration with, the State University System would provide
17 an infrastructure for recruiting and retaining world-class
18 faculty, increasing the number of graduates in advanced and
19 emerging technology programs, increasing the amount of base
20 and applied research conducted in Florida, incubating new
21 companies, developing new educational and industrial
22 applications for such research, helping Florida's businesses
23 adopt emerging technologies, and developing a highly skilled,
24 high-wage workforce, NOW, THEREFORE,
25
26 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
27
28 Section 1. Section 240.72, Florida Statutes, is
29 created to read:
30 240.72 Florida Technology Development Act.--
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 HB 1937
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1 (1) This section may be cited as the "Florida
2 Technology Development Act."
3 (2) "Center of excellence," as used in this section,
4 means a center in this state that, among its functions:
5 (a) Facilitates the identification of collaborative
6 research opportunities between universities and businesses.
7 (b) Facilitates the acquisition of funding for
8 collaborative research opportunities through leveraging public
9 and private sector funding.
10 (c) Creates partnerships between industrial and
11 governmental entities to advance knowledge and research and to
12 move technologies from academic laboratories and research
13 centers to commercial sectors.
14 (d) Stimulates and supports new venture creation
15 through partnerships with venture capital firms and other
16 business, governmental, and educational entities.
17 (e) Assists in the enhancement of advanced academic
18 curricula through improved communication between academia and
19 businesses.
20 (f) Increases the number of graduates and faculty
21 researchers in advanced technology programs while ensuring
22 that a larger percentage of such graduates pursue careers in
23 Florida industries.
24 (g) Recruits and retains eminent scholars in advanced
25 technology disciplines.
26 (h) Provides capital facilities necessary to support
27 research and development.
28 (3) To guide the establishment of centers of
29 excellence within, and in collaboration with, the State
30 University System, there is created the Emerging Technology
31 Commission within the Executive Office of the Governor.
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1 (a) The members of the commission shall be business
2 leaders, industrial researchers, academic researchers,
3 scientists, or engineers who have been recognized as leaders
4 in this state's emerging and advanced technology sectors.
5 (b) The commission shall consist of 12 members who
6 shall be appointed within 2 weeks after the effective date of
7 this act as follows:
8 1. The Governor shall appoint the chair and four
9 members.
10 2. The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall
11 appoint two nonvoting, ex officio members.
12 3. The President of the Senate shall appoint two
13 nonvoting, ex officio members.
14 4. The Secretary of Education shall serve as an ex
15 officio, nonvoting member.
16 5. The state senator serving as a member of the
17 Florida Research Consortium, Inc., shall serve as an ex
18 officio, nonvoting member.
19 6. The state representative serving as a member of the
20 Florida Research Consortium, Inc., shall serve as an ex
21 officio, nonvoting member.
22 (c) No later than 3 weeks after the commission is
23 fully constituted, the commission shall release to each
24 university in the state a written list of the performance
25 criteria that the commission will consider in preparing its
26 center of excellence proposals and a deadline for submission
27 of the proposals. The commission shall, at the time of release
28 of the criteria to each university, provide the list of
29 criteria to the State Technology Office, which shall post the
30 criteria and make them publicly accessible on the Internet at
31 www.MyFlorida.com. Each university shall have the opportunity
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1 to submit proposals to the commission outlining its proposal
2 for the development of one or more centers of excellence.
3 Whether such proposals shall be written or verbal is within
4 the discretion of the chair of the commission. Submitted
5 proposals should address the performance criteria identified
6 by the commission. The commission may accept or refuse to
7 accept any proposal submitted after the deadline.
8 (d) Based on the information submitted by the
9 universities, the commission shall develop a minimum of two
10 and no more than five proposals for the establishment of a
11 center of excellence. The proposals shall be submitted to the
12 Board of Education.
13 1. When evaluating and developing the proposals, the
14 commission shall consider, by no later than September 1, 2002,
15 existing university programs and resources, site plans,
16 regional economic climates and opportunities, public-private
17 partnerships and cooperative efforts with other universities
18 or laboratories, performance and accountability measures, and
19 an integrated strategy that includes all levels of the
20 educational system.
21 2. Each proposal shall recommend how the funding for
22 the center of excellence initiative is to be allocated and
23 spent and shall identify performance review measures to be
24 utilized. Each proposal must include a provision that a
25 significant portion of the funding be used to seek and hire
26 world-class scientists to staff and direct the centers. The
27 Board of Education shall approve the commission's proposals
28 that the board deems appropriate by November 15, 2002. After
29 final approval, the Board of Education shall approve
30 expenditures based on the proposals adopted.
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1 3. Each proposal submitted by the commission to the
2 board shall address how a proposed center of excellence would:
3 a. Facilitate the identification of collaborative
4 research opportunities and facilitate the acquisition of
5 funding for such opportunities.
6 b. Capitalize on partnerships among educational
7 institutions, industry, and governmental entities to advance
8 knowledge and research and to move technologies from academic
9 laboratories and research centers to commercial sectors.
10 c. Stimulate and support new venture creation,
11 including through partnerships with venture capital firms and
12 other business, governmental, and educational entities.
13 d. Facilitate the development and commercialization of
14 new technologies for advanced and emerging technology-based
15 businesses.
16 e. Assist the enhancement of advanced academic
17 curricula through improved communication between academia and
18 businesses.
19 f. Increase the number of graduates and faculty in
20 core advanced technology programs while retaining a larger
21 percentage of such graduates.
22 g. Maximize the leverage upon private sector and
23 public funding to support advanced and emerging technological
24 research and development projects.
25 h. Recruit and retain eminent scholars and programs in
26 advanced and emerging technology-based disciplines.
27 i. Provide capital facilities necessary to support
28 research and development.
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30 In developing the proposals, the commission shall refer to
31 performance criteria for determining how to best develop a
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1 center of excellence. The Florida Research Consortium, Inc., a
2 not-for-profit strategic partnership between the state's
3 universities and the private sector and a corporation
4 affiliated with ITFlorida.com, Inc., a not-for-profit
5 statewide high-technology association and outgrowth of
6 Florida's Information Service Technology Development Task
7 Force, shall develop performance criteria for the commission
8 to consider in developing its proposals. The board of the
9 Florida Research Consortium, Inc., shall deliver its set of
10 recommended performance criteria no later than 3 weeks after
11 the appointment of the chair and all members of the
12 commission. The commission may also consider the input of
13 other business, educational, and governmental entities.
14 (e) After being fully constituted and prior to the
15 commission's submission of the proposals to the Board of
16 Education, the commission shall be required to meet in person
17 at least three times to facilitate completion of the
18 proposals. The first meeting shall take place no later than 4
19 weeks after the appointment of the chair and all members of
20 the commission. The next meeting shall take place no later
21 than 5 weeks following the first meeting. The final meeting
22 shall take place no later than 5 weeks following the second
23 meeting. The commission may meet more times than are
24 prescribed in this act either in person or by teleconference.
25 All meetings shall be scheduled and located as designated by
26 the chair of the commission and are open to the public, to be
27 held in accordance with state law.
28 (f) Because the intent of this act is to invest a
29 large sum of money for the purpose of developing centers of
30 excellence, it is important that the funding for the
31 initiative not be unnecessarily divided into multiple funding
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1 divisions. Each center of excellence shall be allocated no
2 less than $25 million.
3 (g) After a proposal has been fully approved by the
4 board, the commission shall remain in place for at least 1
5 year to provide guidance and performance review; however, the
6 commission shall expire on November 1, 2003.
7 Section 2. There is appropriated $50,000 to the
8 Executive Office of the Governor for administrative and
9 support services necessary to support the Emerging Technology
10 Commission.
11 Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
12 law.
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15 HOUSE SUMMARY
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Creates the Florida Technology Development Act which
17 provides for establishment of centers of excellence
within the State University System. Provides functions of
18 the centers. Provides for development of proposals for
the centers by the Emerging Technology Commission.
19 Provides for input from the universities and the Florida
Research Consortium. Provides for proposal approval by
20 the State Board of Education. See bill for details.
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