Florida Commerce has announced several developments during the first day of Governor Ron DeSantis' trade and business development mission to Italy. The initiatives include a new partnership between Florida universities and an Italian university, as well as efforts by Space Florida to promote innovation at Cape Canaveral.
"Governor Ron DeSantis is leading this mission to build long-term wins and develop our workforce and economy," stated Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly. "On the first day, we saw major success, with organizations committing to reciprocal visits to Florida and the announcement that Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Sapienza Universita di Roma have agreed to formalize a partnership for shared research and working towards a memorandum of understanding."
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has entered into an agreement with Sapienza Universita di Roma’s Faculty of Engineering. This collaboration aims to establish shared research projects and future joint initiatives, allowing faculty and students from both institutions to experience diverse academic environments.
Space Florida extended an invitation to Italian aerospace companies, encouraging them to establish operations in the state at the Space Life Sciences Lab. The aim is for these companies to benefit from proximity to Florida’s spaceport system, skilled workforce, and commerce ecosystem.
To enhance trade relations between Florida and Italy, several events were organized including four business seminars, an academic roundtable, a logistics roundtable, a trade track meeting, and an aerospace business seminar.
The aviation, aerospace, and defense partnership between Italy and Florida is seen as vital for both regions' prosperity and security. By leveraging their strengths in sectors such as military defense, aerospace aviation, marine operations, life sciences research, and health technology, there is potential for Italy to become one of Florida's top trading partners.
Governor Ron DeSantis will lead this international trade mission from November 11 through November 15. Accompanying him are agency heads and university presidents including Secretary J. Alex Kelly; Space Florida President Rob Long; Secretary Jared Perdue of the Department of Transportation; Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Jason Weida; Secretary of State Cord Byrd; Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis; Presidents Richard McCullough (Florida State University), Richard Corcoran (New College of Florida), Rhea Law (University of South Florida), Ken Jessell (Florida International University); along with representatives from other educational institutions like Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.