Florida High Tech Corridor Matching Grants Research Program (MGRP)

FL High Tech Corridor MGRP

Supports Florida universities and companies in joint innovation projects with industry.

Eligibility · United States · US-FL

The Matching Grants Research Program (MGRP) is a rolling industry-university research collaboration grant administered by the Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTC) in partnership with the Florida SBDC Network. The program funds applied, solution-driven R&D projects developed jointly between a qualifying industry partner and a faculty research team at the University of Central Florida (UCF) or the University of South Florida (USF). FHTC awards up to $150,000 per project directly to the university research team; the industry partner must provide a matching investment of equal value in cash, in-kind contributions, or a combination of both, but does not receive MGRP funds directly. Projects must be aligned with both the industry partner's operational needs and the university's research strengths, and must fall within one of eleven high-tech sectors served by the Corridor including aerospace, biotech, cybersecurity, energy, advanced manufacturing, materials science, medical technology, and robotics. Geographic eligibility is restricted to industry partners operating within the Corridor's 23-county Central Florida region, stretching from the Suncoast to the Space Coast. There is no published annual deadline; submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis by FHTC program staff and a committee of regional professionals and stakeholders. Mandatory student involvement at both graduate and undergraduate levels is required on every funded project, making this program a workforce development mechanism as well as an R&D investment. Intellectual property terms are negotiated on a per-project basis through a sponsored research agreement between the company and the university; no standard IP template is imposed by FHTC. Industry partners interested in applying should contact UCF's Jennifer McKinley at jennifer.mckinley@ucf.edu or USF's Elizabeth Nelson at ernelson1@usf.edu to initiate the joint proposal development process.