Central Florida Research Park

Central Florida Research Park

Size	1,027 acres (4.2 km²)
Companies	106
Buildings	48
Employees	Over 10,000
Students Employed	Over 400 Graduate/Undergraduate Students
Location	Orlando, Florida, USA

The Central Florida Research Park, abutting the main University of Central Florida campus in Orlando, Florida, is a university-related research park established as a result of legislation passed by the Florida Legislature in 1978. The Park is a cooperative effort between the University of Central Florida, the Orange County Research and Development Authority, and the Orange County Board of County Commissioners. It is the largest research park in the state and the seventh largest in the nation. The governing body of the Park is the Orange County Research and Development Authority.

History

The university and officials of the Central Florida Research Park believe that the potential for the establishment of close ties between the university and industry will create an attractive environment conducive to the location of research-oriented industry in the Park. This activity will enrich and support the academic, teaching, and research programs of the university.

Planned to provide a campus-like environment for business adjacent to UCF, the Central Florida Research Park consists of over 1,000 acres (4 km²) of land. Businesses which desire a "university relationship" can purchase or lease land in the Research Park on which to construct a facility or can lease space for office, office/lab, or light manufacturing activities.

Business partnerships

University organizations, including the Institute for Simulation and Training, are located in the Research Park. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, the US Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), RDECOM Simulation, Training and Technology Center (STTC) and the Air Force Agency for Modeling and Simulation (AFAMS), the focal point of the nation's simulation and training industry, have their headquarters in the Research Park. Over $700 million in federal contracts is granted by the Army and Navy each year.

Traffic Fatalities

Research Parkway and its sister road Challenger Parkway have become infamous within the UCF community for the horrific late night high speed traffic accidents that occur several times per semester, costing many students their lives. A key contributor to these incidents is how the roadways are built and their limited access. Research Parkway and Challenger Parkway are both four lane roads with wide banking turns and long straight aways with no outside access roads, allowing for even modest vehicles to attain high speeds without the fear of sudden traffic. Late at night these roads are covered with water due to the Research Park's sprinkler system and it is often impossible to tell if the road is wet or not due to the topography of the roadways. When a vehicle comes around a corner at high speed and hits the wet road often the result is a high speed traffic accident, which has scarred many of the trees along both roadways and taken multiple lives.

Map/directions

"From Orlando:"Take the East-West Expressway (408) east approximately convert|12|mi|km and you will enter straight into the "Central Florida Research Park" as the Expressway ends and becomes Challenger Parkway. Turn right on Ingenuity Drive and proceed approximately 1/2 mile (800 m) to Discovery Drive, turn left on Discovery Drive and proceed approximately 1/2 mile (800 m) to Research Parkway, turn left, the Research Pavilion will be on the left.

ee also

*Innovation Way
*University of Central Florida

References

* [http://www.ucf.edu/catalog/9899/UCF_Section/central_florida_research_park.html UCF Research Park Information]

External links

* [http://www.cfrp.org/ Central Florida Research Park]
* [http://ww.ist.ucf.edu Institute For Simulation and Training]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=28.580031,-81.198835&spn=0.036392,0.033989&t=k&hl=en Satellite Imagery] Image provided by Google Maps.