Saturday, February 23, 2008

FPC Welcomes the UCF Photonics Incubator!

The Photonics Incubator is part of the UCF Incubator Network and is located on the UCF campus within the facilities of CREOL & FPCE, The College of Optics and Photonics at the University of Central Florida. The Photonics Incubator is one of the ways that The College of Optics and Photonics fulfills one element of its mission, namely to “Aid the development of Florida’s and the nation’s high technology industries.” Companies in the Photonics Incubator have ready access to the CREOL faculty, graduate students, and CREOL laboratory facilities including the Nano-Fabrication CleanRoom and its Leica 5000 e-beam lithography instrument. In addition, the companies have ready access to other excellent UCF resources including the staff of the Office of Research and Commercialization and the Venture Lab in the College of Business.

For more information contact

Mr. Gordon Hogan
Ph: 407-882-1577
Email: BizDev@mail.ucf.edu.

Reinstatement as a 501c(6) Not-for-Profit Corporation Approved!

The FPC reinstatement as a 501c(6) not-for-profit corporation has finally been approved by the IRS. The FPC reinstatement by the Florida Department of State Division of Corporations had been previously approved. Thanks again to Randy Berridge and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council for the financial support of the work needed to do this, and to Bill Boyles and his firm, Gray-Robinson, for their persistence and diligence in getting this done for us.

If you need the Employer ID number (EIN), assigned by the State of Florida for the FPC, it is 593352840. Because the FPC is a trade organization, 501c(6) in the IRS classification, donations (including dues) are not deductible as a charitable donation. They may be deductible as a business expense, but you will need to consult with a tax advisor to determine this for your company.

Thanks for your continuing support of and participation in the Florida Photonics Cluster.

Jim Pearson
FPC Executive Director

Sunday, February 10, 2008

PODCAST: "Shining a Spotlight on the Science of Light"

Alex Fong, President of the Florida Photonics Cluster was recently interviewed by Ballard of Enterprise Florida regarding the impact photonics has on our everday lives and how it will help shape our future from healthcare to energy. You can listen to the podcast of the interview at the e-Florida website (http://www.eflorida.com/innovationcenter.aspx?id=6208) or free in iTunes! All Enterprise Florida's podcasts can also be accessed via iTunes and most other major podcast aggregator sites.