The Innovation and Business Development program at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) has been chosen as the regional administrator for the Florida APEX Accelerator, a newly established federal network that aims to expand the number of U.S. businesses capable of collaborating with government agencies.
The APEX Accelerator will provide companies with the knowledge, resources and networks required to scale, innovate and contribute to the country’s industrial base and Florida’s economy. Notably, the program helps companies draft government contract proposals and connect with agencies that could benefit from their technologies or services.
FAU’s Innovation and Business Development program is part of the university’s Division of Research and helps guide university technologies through the commercialization process.
“The APEX Accelerator represents part of the continuing effort of the FAU Division of Research to enhance business development in our local community, which starts at the technology transfer level so that life-changing discoveries in the laboratory can be translated to real-world applications” says Gregg Fields, interim vice president for research at FAU.
The next phase of the APEX Accelerator is to establish a network of defense proposal labs where companies can participate as cohorts to learn the various steps of constructing government contracts and grant proposals from business consultants with extensive experience in the sector.
“Our goal is to put these enhanced business development tools into the hands of as many qualified businesses as possible,” says Sandra D. Marin Ruiz, assistant vice president of FAU’s Business Development and Innovation program and regional director of the new accelerator. “The APEX Accelerator is an opportunity for the innovators in our region to access capital through government contracts and also grants for developing new intellectual property and access to market. These resources are not exclusive to FAU. They are here for the whole community.”
Source: FAU Newsdesk
