After months of planning and negotiations, a five-year license agreement has officially been approved between the city and the St. Pete Innovation District to bring a much-anticipated Maritime and Defense Technology Hub.
At the City Council meeting held on Thursday, October 21st, Councilmembers enthusiastically and unanimously approved the long-awaited license agreement for the St. Pete Innovation District to take control of the former SRI International building. The waterfront facility is located on 8th Avenue SE and contains 32,386 sq. ft. of space. Built in 2009, the once single tenant building will now be the home for over 12 organizations. The future tenants of the Maritime Defense and Technology Hub not only want to leverage the unique capabilities of the building, but they want to be in a space with like-minded, future focused, technology-oriented organizations.
Alison Barlow, Executive Director for the St. Pete Innovation District, called the new partnership a win for all parties. “The concept of the St. Petersburg Maritime and Defense Tech Hub is - I dare to say it - innovative,” said Barlow. “It’s not something we have here today, and it’s not something you see commonly.”
To learn more about the announcement:
St. Petersburg Maritime Defense technology hub moving to waterfront property (fox13news.com)
It’s official: Maritime and Defense Tech Hub on the way, tenants announced (St Pete Catalyst)
source: SPID Oct Newsletter
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.
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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.