SRI International and State and Regional Leaders Convene for Ribbon Cutting at New SRI Facility in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Fla. —December 18 , 2009—Congressman C.W. Bill Young, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, and officials from Pinellas County will join SRI International executives today from 10:00 a.m. to noon for a ribbon-cutting event at SRI's new research facility at the Port of St. Petersburg.
The new building, owned by the City of St. Petersburg and leased by SRI, will house the nonprofit research institute's Marine Technology Program, which is focused on advancing marine science and technology, port security, and environmental research. The facility is part of the City of St. Petersburg's master plan for fostering a marine research cluster in the Bayboro district.
"The opening of SRI's Marine Technology Program in St. Petersburg showcases the important role that technology plays in defense and homeland security. The type of partnership that this venture represents is exemplary of an industry–university partnership that will have a lasting positive impact on the community and region," said Florida Congressman C.W. Bill Young.
"This is a proud and momentous occasion for Florida, as it seals our commitment to being a leader in marine exploration and discovery," said Governor Charlie Crist. "It also demonstrates the successful outcomes we are achieving through cooperation between our local communities and our business, research, economic development, and government sectors."
"SRI is conducting important work in the areas of marine technology and port security, and we value its contribution to research, development, and job creation in St. Petersburg," said Mayor Rick Baker. "We look forward to SRI's continued benefit to our city, the greater region, and the State of Florida."
SRI and its partners—the State of Florida, Pinellas County, the City of St. Petersburg, the University of South Florida, Enterprise Florida, and the Tampa Bay Partnership—established SRI St. Petersburg in November 2006 and broke ground on the new building in October 2008. During construction, SRI St. Petersburg was housed on the USF campus at Bayboro Harbor.
Since 2007, SRI has worked on a number of research projects in Florida, including:
SRI established operations in St. Petersburg with the help of the State of Florida's Innovation Incentive Program. The fund invested $20 million, over a five-year period, to support startup activities and establish a foundation for the growth of SRI's Marine Technology Program. A partnership with the City of St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, and the State of Florida provided an additional $10 million in funding and land to build a new building for SRI's operations. The City's contribution included the waterfront site at the Port of St. Petersburg and a 10-year facility lease.
SRI's mission includes commercialization of the technologies that it develops. As outlined in the guidelines from Florida's Innovation Incentive Program, technologies that are developed by SRI in Florida that are suitable for commercialization will first be explored for this purpose in Florida. That could translate into more jobs for St. Petersburg, the Tampa Bay region, and the State of Florida.
"Today, we celebrate a significant milestone in SRI's growth as the collective vision of SRI, the State of Florida, Pinellas County, the City of St. Petersburg, the University of South Florida, Enterprise Florida, and the Tampa Bay Partnership has come to fruition," said SRI President and CEO Curtis R. Carlson, Ph.D. "We value the support and contributions of our partners, who shared our commitment to build SRI St. Petersburg and establish a center dedicated to research and commercialization of technology in the areas of marine science, port security, energy, and the environment."
"In December 2006, SRI International brought the promise of a new research and development facility that would expand Pinellas County's technology, energy, marine science, and port securities sectors," said Pinellas County Board of County Commissioner Chair Calvin Harris. "As we celebrate the opening of the building today, we look forward to the future discoveries, growth, and jobs that the collaborative effort will bring to Pinellas County."
The new building was designed by Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, Inc. (HOK) and built by the Manhattan Construction Company. Innovative Project Solutions served as the local project manager for the design and construction. The building includes laboratory space for developing advanced marine sensors and port security technologies, a state-of-the-art marine operations and deployment shop, and specialized classroom, meeting, and office space to support training, conferences, and daily operations.
The building was designed to incorporate many environmentally friendly features, such as:
A number of sustainable design features, such as the reflective "cool roof" and energy-efficient windows, sunshades, and lighting systems qualified for energy-saving incentives from Progress Energy of Florida.
