The Florida Senate

331.368  Florida Space Research Institute.--

(1)  There is created the Florida Space Research Institute, the purpose of which is to serve as an industry-driven center for research, leveraging the state's resources in a collaborative effort to support Florida's space industry and its expansion, diversification, and transition to commercialization.

(2)  The institute shall operate as a public/private partnership under the direction of a board composed of:

(a)  A representative of the Florida Space Authority.

(b)  A representative of Enterprise Florida, Inc.

(c)  A representative of the Florida Aviation Aerospace Alliance.

(d)  A representative of the Florida Space Business Roundtable.

(e)  Additional private-sector representatives from the space industry selected collaboratively by the core members specified in paragraphs (a)-(d). The additional space industry representatives under this paragraph must comprise the majority of members of the board and must be from geographic regions throughout the state. Each private-sector representative shall be appointed to a term of 3 years.

(f)  Two representatives from the educational community who are selected collaboratively by the core members specified in paragraphs (a)-(d) and who are engaged in research or instruction related to the space industry. One representative must be from a community college, and one representative must be from a public or private university. Each educational representative shall be appointed to a term of 2 years.

(g)  Additional ex officio, nonvoting representatives selected collaboratively by the core members.

(3)  Annually, the members of the board shall select one of the members to serve as chair, who shall be responsible for convening and leading meetings of the board.

(4)  Board members are considered to be volunteers as defined in s. 110.501 and shall serve with all protections provided to volunteers of state agencies under s. 768.1355

(5)  For the purposes of contracts and grants, s. 216.346 shall apply to the institute's programs with state universities and community colleges.

(6)  The Florida Space Research Institute may:

(a)  Acquire property under such conditions as the board may deem necessary or desirable, and sell or otherwise dispose of the same.

(b)  Serve as a coordinating organization among public and private academic institutions, industry, and government agencies to support the expansion and diversification of Florida's space industry, and to support research and education programs.

(c)  Execute contracts and other documents, adopt proceedings, and perform any acts determined by the board to be necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

(d)  Establish a personnel management system and procedures, rules, and rates governing administrative and financial operations of the institute.

(e)  Acquire, accept, or administer grants, contracts, and fees from other organizations to perform activities that are consistent with the purposes of this section.

(f)  Work in partnership with the Florida Space Authority, Enterprise Florida, Inc., the Department of Education, and other organizations to support their programs to promote the state as a center for space enterprise, research, and technology development.

(7)  The board of the Florida Space Research Institute shall:

(a)  Set the strategic direction for the space-related research priorities of the state and its space-related businesses, the scope of research projects for the institute, and the timeframes for completion.

(b)  Invite the participation of public and private academic institutions, including, but not limited to, the University of Central Florida, the University of Florida, the University of South Florida, Florida State University, Florida Institute of Technology, and the University of Miami.

(c)  Select a lead university to:

1.  Serve as coordinator of research for the institute;

2.  Support the institute's development of a statewide space research agenda and programs; and

3.  Develop, and update as necessary, a report recommending ways that the state's public and private universities can work in partnership to support the state's space-industry requirements.

(d)  Establish a partnership with the state Workforce Development Board, or its successor entity, under which the institute coordinates the workforce-training requirements identified by the space industry and supports development of workforce-training initiatives to meet such requirements, using training providers approved by the board or its successor entity.

(e)  Comanage, with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and subject to the terms of an agreement with NASA, operation of a Space Experiment Research and Processing Laboratory, if such a facility is constructed on land of the John F. Kennedy Space Center. The institute shall carry out such responsibility through a consortium of public and private universities in the state led by the University of Florida.

(f)  Develop initiatives to foster the participation of the state's space industry in the International Space Station and to help the state maintain and enhance its competitive position in the commercial space-transportation industry.

(g)  Pursue partnerships with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to coordinate and conduct research in fields including, but not limited to, environmental monitoring; agriculture; aquatics; resource reutilization technologies for long-duration space missions; and spaceport technologies which support current or next-generation launch vehicles and range systems.

(h)  Pursue partnerships with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for the conduct of space-related research using computer technology to connect experts in a given field of science who are in disparate locations and to perform research experiments in a real-time, virtual environment.

(i)  Appoint or dismiss, as deemed necessary by the board, a person to act as executive director of the institute, who shall have such other functions, duties, powers, and salary as the board prescribes.

(8)  By December 15 of each year, the institute shall submit a report of its activities and accomplishments for the year to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Commissioner of Education. The report shall also include recommendations regarding actions the state should take to enhance the development of space-related businesses, including:

(a)  Future research activities.

(b)  The development of capital and technology assistance to new and expanding industries.

(c)  The removal of regulatory impediments.

(d)  The establishment of business development incentives.

(e)  The initiation of education and training programs to ensure a skilled workforce.

History.--s. 20, ch. 99-256; s. 10, ch. 2000-290; s. 19, ch. 2002-183; s. 31, ch. 2003-286.