The opening of a new biomedical research facility will help create thousands of Florida research jobs.

Scripps Florida recently opened a new biomedical research facility, which state leaders hope will help the state become a leader in biotechnology and research. About 300 faculty members, scientific, technical and administrative staff work at the facility. The company plans to create 6,500 new jobs during the next 15 years.

An analysis conducted by two of Florida’s top economists predicts the Scripps facility will generate about $1.6 billion in additional income to Floridians and boost the state’s gross domestic product by $3.2 billion during the next 15 years.

“The opening of Scripps Florida marks an important milestone in the Sunshine State’s development as a biotech hub and as a global leader in medical research and development,” said Gov. Charlie Crist said in a press release. “Florida’s economy will benefit from the collaboration among Scripps Florida and the state’s other biotech companies, and the result will be important advances that improve the health and quality of life for everyone.”

Scripps Florida is a division of The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. The new 350,000 square-foot facility is located next to Florida Atlantic University in Jupiter, Fla. The facility will focus on basic biomedical science, drug discovery and technology development.

The company’s startup costs were supported by $310 million in federal economic development funds approved by the Florida Legislature, $187 million in construction and related costs from Palm Beach County and temporary facilities and land from Florida Atlantic University.

Tags: Florida research jobs

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 at 2:57 pm and is filed under Jobs, Research. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.