ST. PETERSBURG — The Trump administration on Monday awarded Pinellas County $7.5 million to help build the planned $12 million Tampa Bay Innovation Center Incubator just south of downtown."This is a big win for St. Pete and Pinellas County and the culmination of much hard work" on a project years in the making, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman said in a response to the news.Pinellas County commissioners have agreed to put up the remaining $4.5 million for the project, a 45,000-square-foot facility to be built on 2.5 acres currently owned by the city. The site is at the southwest corner of Fourth Street and 11th Avenue S in the Brookside Park neighborhood.As important, it is in the city's Innovation District, which extends from Fifth Avenue S to 18th Avenue S and includes tech, health and science institutions like the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, SRI International, and the USF College of Marine Science.For the full article go to Tampa Bay Times https://www.tampabay.com/business/st-petersburg-innovation-incubator-wins-75-million-federal-grant-20190729/Additional coverage:St. Pete Catalyst https://stpetecatalyst.com/pinellas-officials-hope-local-businesses-will-lend-a-hand-for-new-st-pete-incubator/Tampa Bay Business Journal https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2019/07/29/tampa-bay-innovation-center-near-downtown-st-pete.html?ana=e_ae_set1&j=89697301&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWm1JMlptRTROakF4TVRRNSIsInQiOiJXS3U0S1pRZTlodVhlbHhjdXZtYWkyK0NiQjZkc1ZoYjc4bjd1YkZjRVBHbFdrK01cL1ZYRW92WVRQWkVReTMyckdvazZJNjVoelh1d2kzS2Jna0I2b2FYb2ZEcTNHalhESSt6M2wydStPb2JXVHdRbWJKOFZ3TXdEZUhjbWFCVFRsMEg2bkRHRDcwRmFFTDRKY3R5cjJ3PT0ifQ%3D%3D
April’s Tech X-change was a hit, thanks to an engaging presentation from Digital Twin Marine. Shoutout to all the Eckerd College students who joined us! The audience was curious and interactive, asking great questions and eager to try out the virtual reality headset.
April’s event, Morning Sparks: Innovation X-change (GIS...Beyond Mapping) was postponed, but we're still buzzing with ideas. Whether you're a mapping enthusiast or not quite sure what GIS even stands for, we’d love to know: is there a topic you'd like us to explore next? What kind of innovation in this space sparks your curiosity?
The Innovation District hosts a quarterly breakfast series called Morning Sparks: Innovation X-change. At each session we explore emerging technologies, invite District partners to share their current related efforts, and engage in thoughtful (and hopefully spirited) discussions that will spark future innovation.