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Metro Orlando's biotechnology and life science sector is
developing a strong presence in the region with more than 150
companies involved in numerous facets of the industry such as:
Two of the nation's largest hospital systems – Florida Hospital
and Orlando Health – call Orlando home. But until a few years ago,
Orlando was not a real 'contender' for the life science and biotech
industry.
That changed in 2003, when Metro Orlando was 'short-listed' for
the location of the Scripps Research Institute. While Scripps
ultimately decided to locate in West Palm Beach instead, the region
learned an important lesson: Metro Orlando had a great deal to
offer but we needed a medical school to realistically compete for
the development, expansion and relocation of life science
companies.
Elected officials, community leaders and groups like the Metro
Orlando Economic Development Commission (EDC) immediately began
working together with University of Central Florida (UCF) President
Dr. John Hitt to make this happen. And in March 2006, within a
remarkably short time frame, the UCF College of Medicine was
approved.
With the approval of the College of Medicine, Orlando became a
realistic locational choice for life science companies … and
community leaders were working behind the scenes to prove this by
luring the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute to Orlando.
When Sanford-Burnham announced their east coast expansion was to be
in Orlando, the eyes of the life science community and the world
turned to our region.
Shortly thereafter, a 'medical city' was born when M. D.
Anderson Orlando's Cancer Research Institute, a Nemours Children's
Hospital, Orlando Veterans Affairs Hospital and University of
Florida Research Center all announced plans to establish facilities
at Lake Nona's Science and Technology Park.
Within a short span of time, the dream of creating a world-class
life science cluster was starting to take shape in Orlando. And
this was not going unnoticed. The decision of the Burnham
Institute to locate in Orlando generated unprecedented media
coverage and overwhelming interest in Orlando as a life science
destination.
With the growing promise of this sector, community leaders stepped
forward to help the EDC recruit additional companies. Under the
management of the Metro Orlando EDC, business and health industry
leaders created bioOrlando, an organization dedicated to
accelerating the growth of this industry in Central Florida. Since
2007, bioOrlando – a collaborative group of
forward-thinking business leaders – has worked to position Central
Florida as a premier life science and biotechnology business
destination worldwide.
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