Senate Bill sb0296
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Florida Senate - 2001 SB 296
By Senator Carlton
24-200-01
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to marine biotechnology
3 research, training, and industry development;
4 establishing the Florida Marine Biotechnology
5 Research, Training, and Development Program;
6 providing for program focus; providing
7 legislative intent; providing long-term goals;
8 providing an appropriation; providing an
9 effective date.
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11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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13 Section 1. There is established a Florida Marine
14 Biotechnology Research, Training, and Development Program. The
15 program will foster, establish, and enhance partnerships among
16 research scientists in Florida universities and research
17 laboratories and the marine biotechnology industry for the
18 purpose of promoting commerce, creating jobs, and benefiting
19 from potential commercial opportunities in the state. The
20 Director of the Florida Marine Research Institute and the
21 Director of the Florida Sea Grant College Program will jointly
22 administer the program with input from a steering committee
23 appointed jointly by both directors. The steering committee
24 shall have a member from the University of Florida, Florida
25 Atlantic University, Florida State University, the University
26 of South Florida, the University of West Florida, Florida A&M
27 University, the University of Miami, Nova Southeastern
28 University, the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Mote
29 Marine Laboratory, the Florida Marine Research Institute, and
30 BIOFlorida. The steering committee shall determine the
31 research priorities that will be used in requesting project
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Florida Senate - 2001 SB 296
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1 proposals, shall determine the criteria used to select and
2 fund projects using funds as provided in this act, shall
3 identify a scientific review committee to evaluate and
4 recommend projects for funding, and shall make recommendations
5 to the Directors of the Florida Sea Grant College Program and
6 the Florida Marine Research Institute for projects to be
7 funded based upon the recommendations of the scientific review
8 committee. The Directors of the Florida Marine Research
9 Institute and the Florida Sea Grant College Program shall
10 jointly make final project funding decisions and also provide
11 a joint report to the Legislature on program progress by July
12 1 of each year during which the program is being funded.
13 Section 2. The Florida Marine Biotechnology Research,
14 Training, and Development Program will support research using
15 modern techniques of cell and molecular biology in the
16 following areas:
17 (1) Aquaculture, focused on cellular and molecular
18 techniques to improve size, growth rate, disease resistance,
19 survivability, and reproductive yields of aquacultured
20 organisms:
21 (2) Marine animal health, focused on marine pathogens,
22 diagnostics, treatments, drug delivery systems, and
23 immunology, physiology, and pharmacology of both wild and
24 cultured marine animals;
25 (3) Marine bioproducts, focused on the discovery of
26 drugs, bioadhesives, biominerals, and other economically
27 important products, the development of new models and screens
28 for product discovery, the identification of new drug targets
29 and mechanisms-of-action of marine-derived drugs, the
30 development of sustainable production methods for marine
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Florida Senate - 2001 SB 296
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1 bioproducts and the development of novel methods for marine
2 by-product utilization;
3 (4) Coastal human health risks, focused on the
4 development of new diagnostic tools to assess seafood
5 pathogens and water-borne pathogens and pollutants;
6 (5) Coastal habitat restoration, focused on
7 remediation, and molecular and cellular approaches to strain
8 improvement, hybrid development, and production technology for
9 submerged and coastal aquatic vegetation; and
10 (6) Forensics and monitoring, focused on bioforensics
11 for identification of threatened and endangered species,
12 seafood identification, evaluation of health risks, regulatory
13 issues as related to economic fraud, and the development of
14 new biosensors.
15 Section 3. Funds appropriated for this program must be
16 awarded to projects based on competition as determined by a
17 scientific peer review process, which may include the advice
18 of a nationwide panel of experts. Review criteria will include
19 project rationale, scientific merit, potential applications,
20 industrial sponsorship, investigator qualifications, potential
21 for partnerships, and plans for technology transfer to
22 industry or the public sector. All universities, public
23 research laboratories, and private nonprofit research
24 laboratories in the state are eligible to compete for funding
25 based on the submission of proposals and selection by the
26 competitive process. There is appropriated from the General
27 Revenue Fund to the Florida Marine Research Institute for
28 fiscal year 2001-2002 a sum of $2,000,000 for the first year
29 of the program. The intent of the Legislature is that the
30 program continue for a total of 5 years, with an annual
31 appropriation each year. Annual appropriations used to fund
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Florida Senate - 2001 SB 296
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1 projects under this act must provide that the annual
2 appropriations be spent over a period not to exceed 42 months
3 for each project and activity of the program. The Florida
4 Marine Research Institute and the Florida Sea Grant College
5 Program will disburse all funds based on the competitive
6 process prescribed by this act and the steering committee.
7 Projects funded within the Florida Marine Research Institute
8 shall receive funds directly from the institute from this
9 appropriation. Funds awarded to universities and private
10 nonprofit research laboratories will be transferred by the
11 Florida Marine Research Institute by contract through the
12 Florida Sea Grant College Program. All projects should promote
13 public and private partnerships when possible. No more than
14 $25,000 each may be used by the Florida Marine Research
15 Institute and the Florida Sea Grant College Program for
16 technical administration of this program. Up to $16,000 may be
17 used by the Florida Sea Grant College Program for the expenses
18 of the peer review and technical panel.
19 Section 4. The long-term goal of the program is the
20 creation of products and processes that will advance the
21 marine biotechnology industry in the state. This industry will
22 create new, clean, high-technology businesses, will provide
23 high-paying jobs, and will create employment opportunities
24 that will keep Florida-trained students in the state.
25 Section 5. Contractual services procured under this
26 act are not subject to section 287.057, Florida Statutes.
27 Section 6. Rules are not required for the
28 implementation of this act.
29 Section 7. This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.
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2 SENATE SUMMARY
3 Creates the Florida Marine Biotechnology Research,
Training, and Development Program, to be administered by
4 the Director of the Florida Marine Research Institute and
the Director of the Florida Sea Grant College Program.
5 Provides an appropriation to fund research projects on a
competitive basis.
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