The earliest discussions of the St. Petersburg Innovation District highlighted potential opportunities from the alignment of research in the fields of ocean health and human health. The convergence of these “warm, salty, wet” environments are particularly relevant and potentially provide insightful lessons for our coastal community.
The physical proximity of the marine science-related organizations only blocks away from both Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and Bayfront Health St. Petersburg makes the Innovation District uniquely oriented for these collaborations. The Ocean and Human Health Working Group was formed in 2019 to formalize the exploration of this effort.
In 2022, this effort was expanded and is now called the Healthcare Innovation Working Group. Their efforts include joint research, as well as healthcare innovation in shared amenities, entrepreneurship incubation, and the education pipeline.
