LSSF featured at 3rd Annual Seven50 Summit
Life Sciences South Florida has officially joined the Southeast Florida Regional Partnership (SFRP) in an effort to strengthen our contributions towards long-term planning to build prosperity in the South Florida region.
The SFRP, established in 2009, is a partnership of more than 200 public, private and non-profit organizations from the counties of Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Monroe, Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River.
The broad goal of the partnership is to support regional planning efforts for housing, economic development, and transportation in a manner that successfully considers the interconnected influences of economic growth, social equity and the environment.
Within the SFRP, Seven50 is a plan that encompasses seven counties over 50 years and focuses on efforts to improve education, workforce development, community assets, and regional leadership partnerships for the future sustainability of the larger South Florida community.
In June, LSSF was featured on a live panel discussion at the 3rd Annual Seven50 Summit. Steve Sauls, VP for Government Relations at FIU, moderated the panel and panelists included: Irma Becerra-Fernandez (Florida International University) Matthias Haury (Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience), Jaap Donath (The Beacon Council), and Jorge Guerra (Miami Dade College).
The panel focused on the new LSSF and SFRP partnership and the efforts of LSSF, which closely align with those of the SFRP. Among the initiatives discussed were the annual LSSF STEM Undergraduate Research Symposium, to be held at FIU this fall; the creation of an asset map and cluster analysis of the region; and the progress toward development of a shared resources research portal which will allow LSSF members to share scientific equipment and services.
“The greatest benefit of collaboration in an increasingly globalized market is that through working together, we will be able to develop innovative solutions and launch projects, research and activities that will be unique,” said Dr. Becerra-Fernandez. “This will lead to further community economic development and eventually grow into making a national impact – much like the hubs LSSF was inspired by, such as Silicon Valley.”
LSSF Research Portal set to launch
To improve efficiency and promote collaboration, Life Sciences South Florida is set to launch an integrated research portal that will allow member institutions and industry partners to search and access the extensive inventory of research equipment and technology that exists in the region. This approach will improve the efficiency of equipment usage and enable industry partners to access the most advanced technology available. The main purpose is to build cost-effectiveness by sharing research infrastructure, resources and facilities and tapping into “unused capacity” to maximize our region’s overall research productivity.
A committee of LSSF member institutions has distributed a survey to our members and is using that feedback to make adjustments to the portal. The next step is to encourage member institutions to begin inputting their equipment and descriptions. Decisions must also be made about ongoing maintenance and costs. Applying for state funding and possible use of advertising on the site are both being considered.
The portal sub-committee will meet later this month to finalize details of the launch.
LSSF to Sponsor 2013 BioFlorida Conference in Tampa
This year, Life Sciences South Florida will be a Silver and Breakfast sponsor for BioFlorida’s 16th Annual Conference, the premier event for Florida’s bioscience community. The event will be held on September 15-17 at theTampa Marriott Waterside Hotel. Deadline for online registration for the event is September 11, 2013.
BioFlorida’s Annual Conference brings together more than 500 professionals from across Florida, the Southeast and the nation to discuss major trends and issues, including topics related to product development, scientific research, business development, financing and public policy. The event attracts professionals from the biotech, pharmaceutical and medical device industries, including scientists, researchers, academia, investors and other product and service providers.
LSSF will have a booth at the event, touting both our LSSF initiatives, the South Florida life sciences industry cluster and the various programs at our member institutions. A committee of members has prepared the first comprehensive LSSF brochure featuring our achievements and activities thus far.
Please plan to join us at the conference and help promote our LSSF initiatives!
Life Sciences South Florida seeking webinar presenters for Fall 2013
To foster innovation and discussion of major trends and issues in life sciences, Life Sciences South Florida sponsors a monthly webinar series featuring talks by some of the top scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators in the state. Topics have included healthcare technology and the new field of digital medicine; how to secure venture capital for biotechnology businesses; the latest techniques in advanced biopharmaceutical research; and recent innovations in bio-medical testing. We are currently seeking presenters for Fall 2013.
The target audience for these STEM-focused webinars are undergraduate students, graduate students and LSSF Committee members. The purpose is to inform the audience of new technologies in the STEM fields; for students, the purpose is to educate and support their continued interests in STEM fields.
If you are interested and think your company would be a good fit for this opportunity, please contact the Office of Engagement at engage@fiu.edu or 305-348-7752. All previous webinars may be viewed on the LSSF website at https://lifesciencessf.org/news-events/webinars/index.html.