• Win Phillips - University of Florida
• David Day - University of Florida

Win Phillips (above) and David Day (below) take university research into the marketplace.

Win Phillips, the University of Florida's vice president for research, and David Day, director of the school's Office of Technology Licensing, are the state's most accomplished team at turning academic research into enterprise. Day estimates he has helped start around 100 businesses in his nearly 10 years on the job, with around 20 gathering enough money and momentum to get their products near the market. Despite the tough economy, Day and Phillips have kept pushing commercialization of university-generated research. In June, the school broke ground on its second major business incubator, a 45,000-sq.-ft. "super-incubator" called the Innovation Hub. The facility targets high-tech startups, providing offices, lab space and shared equipment. It will also house the offices of Day's operation and UF Tech Connect, the main commercialization facility for the university. The incubator, which is being funded by an $8.2-million federal grant and $5 million from the school, will also anchor a larger development-in-the-making called Innovation Square, which will include both residential and commercial space, that's intended to strengthen the link between the university and Gainesville's downtown.

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