The Innovation District, Tampa Bay Wave and the University of South Florida (USF) won a NOAA grant at the beginning of the year to explore establishing an Ocean-based Climate Resiliency Accelerator. This would create meaningful opportunities for data/technology startups to develop novel solutions in areas such as hazard mitigation, water-based renewable energy, pollution. To assist in our planning process, we brought together a cross section of government, private industry, academic, and nonprofit entities. The conversations were dynamic and delved into what is needed in Tampa Bay and across the nation.
For phase two of the project, we expanded the collaboration to include partners Seaworthy Collective, Braid Theory, Ocean Exchange, and World Ocean Council. Together, we created a thoughtful continuum of services that provided entrepreneurs with a wide range of critical support. Fingers crossed - we are awaiting the phase two grant decision! In the meantime, we will be bringing our stakeholder group back together, along with our Ocean Team, this fall to continue the discussions.
If you would like to join in please email abarlow@stpeteinnovationdistrict.com
article originated in the September 2024 newsletter
photo credit: Two Stories Media
A group of support organizations, led by the Innovation District and fueled by a grant from Duke Energy, developed our first Tampa Bay Innovation Ecosystem Map in 2023. We aim to continue guiding entrepreneurs to the best possible resources with an updated version.
Josh Rojas of Bay News 9 recently visited the Maritime and Defense Tech Hub, where he was welcomed by CEO Alison Barlow and COO Lauren Bell for a discussion about the building’s future expansion. The Hub is already home to a thriving community of companies and demand continues to grow. To accommodate this momentum, leaders are envisioning Hub 2.0, a second building proposed for the west parking lot.
The Tampa Bay Estuary Program works to build public and private partnerships to restore and protect Tampa Bay. Critical to this effort is the use of environmental indicators to describe status and trends of bay health. Dr. Marcus Beck will describe his work synthesizing multiple data streams with reproducible workflows to develop and report on bay health indicators.