Week of February 17, 2011
| Florida-wide life sciences taskforce chugs ahead By Zachary S. Fagenson It'll be some months before a statewide group comprised of top educators and economic development officials presents a laundry list of recommendations to bolster the life science industry to policymakers in Tallahassee. They most recently met Feb. 2 at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, where a handful of subgroups presented white papers on the group's overarching mission and their individual tasks. They include an external strategy work group, which is focused on methods of achieving the group's mission and recommendations, and one to focus on promoting entrepreneurship to students statewide. Local members include Beacon Council President and CEO Frank Nero and Florida International University President Mark B. Rosenberg, who's been credited with seeding the group. Former Enterprise Florida President John Adams was also a member along with Florida Gulf Coast University Provost Ronald Toll and Florida High Tech Corridor President Randy Berridge. "The bottom line is that at that meeting draft white papers on different components" were presented, Mr. Nero said. "It was determined that [they were] OK as first draft but they needed some work." Some of the papers contained outdated information and others duplicated some information, he noted. "We will meet sometime in March to hopefully have the second draft, hopefully adopt the draft and the action plan from the white papers," he continued. "Subsequent to that we will start to move forward on the recommendations that will come out of this effort." Members were also charged with bringing in one or two private sector participants to help guide the effort. They'll also help refine the group's pitch to policymakers. "Once we get the white papers done with recommendations and vet them with our private-sector participants," Mr. Nero said, the "goal is to meet with the appropriate folks at state level, starting with the governor, to lay out a game plan for this industry." Miami seeks money to dredge the Miami River's polluted tributaries. Read the complete story when you subscribe to e-Miami Today. |
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