Senate Adds Funding for Osceola Sensor Facility to State Budget
March 20, 2015
(Tallahassee, Fla.) – Senate leaders added a line item for funding for the International Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research (ICAMR) in Osceola County this week. The amount of $5 million was included among items recommended by the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development (TTED).
“We’re very grateful for the hard work of Senators Jack Latvala and David Simmons for championing this project,” said Osceola County Chairman Brandon Arrington.
“We are pleased that the Legislature is recognizing this extraordinary partnership with Osceola County. This is a state infrastructure project critical to Florida’s role in a rapidly growing manufacturing industry,” said University of Central Florida Vice President of University Relations Dan Holsenbeck.
“This is a welcome sign from the Senate to fund the most dynamic project I’ve worked on in my 30+ years in economic development,” said Rick Weddle, president and CEO of the Orlando Economic Development Commission.
"Once again our legislative leaders are demonstrating their commitment to research as a powerful driver of an innovation-based economy for Florida's future," said Randy Berridge, president of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council.
ICAMR is the world’s first industry-led smart sensor consortium housed in the Florida Advanced Manufacturing Research Center (FAMRC), a partnership between Osceola County and the University of Central Florida, located on a 20-acre site by U.S. 192 and the Florida Turnpike in Osceola County. There, ICAMR will develop innovative manufacturable processes, materials, and equipment for advanced sensors and other future high-tech products (emitters, modulators, energy and communications devices/systems). By leveraging unique emerging technology capabilities, processes, and background IP, ICAMR will develop advanced lab/fab and universal technology platforms with the economy of scale needed for cost-effective manufacturing..
