Bay area hits biotech bump in the road

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© St. Petersburg Times
published January 31, 2003

Tampa Bay's fast-lane rush to fire up a regional biotech industry just hit a pricey speed bump. The University of South Florida's competitive bid to nab $10-million of a $30-million pool of state money for a "center of excellence" in bioengineering and life sciences in Tampa did not make the final cut.

After several public hearings, three other universities -- the University of Florida, University of Central Florida and Florida Atlantic University -- were unanimously recommended Thursday by an "emerging technology commission" to receive $10-million apiece for proposed centers of excellence. The recommendations first go to the Florida Board of Education for review before heading to Gov. Jeb Bush and the state legislature for final approval and (perhaps, given the hard-pressed state budget) funding.

Sixteen teams from Florida universities vied for a piece of the state's $30-million pie. Five other universities in the state competed directly with USF for a center of excellence closely tied to biotechnology.

Let it be noted that all nine members of the emerging technology commission were hand picked by Gov. Bush (he picked five, from South Florida, Orlando and the Gainesville area), and former House Speaker Tom Feeney of Orlando (he picked two from his area) and Senate President John McKay (he chose two, from Jacksonville and Tallahassee).

Two members quickly resigned to avoid university conflicts of interest. One replacement -- Joe Richardson, former Florida Power executive who now heads Global Energy Group in Odessa -- became the only member on the commission from the Tampa Bay area.

So nice try, USF. When University president Judy Genshaft fervently spoke in November of USF's plan to compete for state funding, she was still pumped up by her recent tour of the well-established biotech industry around Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

The Tampa Bay area, like many regions looking for the next new thing to embrace, believes biotech (loosely defined as drug development and delivery, medical device manufacturing and bioengineering and gene research) is a hot bet. And this part of central Florida, anchored by the resources of USF and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, already possesses a better-than-average foundation in these fields.

Each of the three centers of excellence winners will equally share the $30-million pot. The University of Central Florida was picked for its proposed center for photonics (lasers and optics). The remaining two competed head-on with USF. Florida Atlantic University was chosen for its proposed center for biomedical and marine biotechnology. And the University of Florida won for its proposed center for regenerative health biotechnology.

So suck it up, USF. Back in the fast lane, Tampa Bay biotech industry. Losing $10-million sure hurts, but it's not the end of the world.

USF executive vice president Carl Carlucci agrees. "Clearly the $10-million would have helped pull this together and funded the hiring of a coordinator. But we cannot be deterred. Even without it, we are committed to opening a center."

Already, USF has brushed itself off. As part of a coalition of schools, it is applying for a federal award in the biotech field.

Genshaft clearly wants to make USF's mark in the biotech field, even as others in the community may be lobbying for more resources devoted to computer sciences or similar promising disciplines.

Genshaft's strategy: Focus resources on one project at a time.

"We've picked the right area given the base of biotech and medical device business existing in the community," Carlucci says.

St. Petersburg's Geary Havran agrees. President of medical manufacturer NDH Medical Inc. and the head of the Florida Medical Manufacturers Consortium, Havran helped pitch USF's center of excellence proposal at various public hearings.

"We already have the industry cluster here that allows us to commercialize the research that comes from university research," he says.

Despite losing the state funding bid to other universities, Havran says the sheer coordination achieved between the area business community and USF to build a center will streamline future biotech efforts. And it will help the Tampa Bay region speak with one voice on such matters.

Still, it's got to hurt. Even in a down economy, Tampa Bay's economic leadership was positively juiced last fall and eager to press with all possible speed for biotech expansion.

This is a setback.

USF's center for bioengineering and life sciences will materialize. Someday.

Let's hope the biotech buzz can be sustained until it arrives.

-- Robert Trigaux can be reached at trigaux@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8405.

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