Published On: Wed, Jun 26th, 2019

Research Park at Florida Atlantic University® to Celebrate 2019 Awards

Boca Raton, FL – The Research Park at Florida Atlantic Universityrecently named the recipients of its fourth annual Research Park Annual Awards. The awards celebration will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 25 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at The Addison, 2 East Camino Real, Boca Raton. Tickets cost $125 per person.

The Research Park awards recognize distinguished contributions to the Research Park’s mission to create and sustain the ideal environment for innovation and invention, maximizing the academic and entrepreneurial talent and regional resources in South Florida to accelerate economic development and prosperity.

“The Research Park at FAU Awards highlight the work of our stakeholders to make the South Florida region more innovative and competitive in the knowledge economy and this year’s recipients personify the mission of the Research Park at FAU, each one is innovating and bringing new forces to bear which enrich our region,” said Andrew Duffell, president of the Research Park at FAU.

The award recipients for 2019 are:

+ Distinguished Entrepreneur: Rodrigo Griesi is one of the driving forces behind DECORA, a Brazilian startup that was recently acquired by Creative Drive, a content creation engine. Griesi’s involvement at the Research Park at FAU and his participation in its economic gardening initiatives helped the company get noticed and acquired by Creative Drive in 2018. He has 20 years of experience building and running new businesses in the technology industry. Griesi started at DECORA in its early stages, as an angel investor, then became the country manager, bringing DECORA’s services to market.

+ Distinguished Researcher: Borko Fuhrt, Ph.D. has several patents pending and interesting corporate interactions that will leverage patents. Fuhrt is a faculty member in FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science and is the site leader for the NSF-funded Center for Advanced Knowledge Enablement, which has been joined by several Research Park at FAU companies. His current research is focused on software designed for the next stage of video compression technology.

Distinguished Organization: Junior Achievement of South Florida is training the next generation of business leaders and employees by educating students about financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness. Its mission is to inspire and prepare youth to succeed in a global economy. Junior Achievement delivers more than 20 unique programs to 50,000 students in Broward and Palm Beach counties.

+ Distinguished Leader: Honorable Michael Udine is the District 3 commissioner in Broward County, a position he was elected to in 2016. He advocates for innovation and knowledge-based economic development, supporting regional organizations’ initiatives. When introduced to one of the Research Park at FAU’s entrepreneurs he immediately started business development for him. In addition, Udine is a director at Legacy Bank of Florida, a small community bank assisting small businesses in Broward and Palm Beach counties.

To purchase tickets to attend the event, click here. For more information about the Research Park at FAU, visit research-park.org.

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.  

About the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University®

The Research Park at Florida Atlantic University® is home to technology companies and research-based organizations working to support the research and development activities of Florida Atlantic University and to foster economic development and broaden the economic base of Broward and Palm Beach counties. The Research Park at FAU hosts FAU Tech Runway, a South Florida public-private partnership that serves as a hub to accelerate technology development and incubate startup companies. The Research Park at FAU is a 70-acre destination for R&D companies to thrive, established in 1985, it is widely regarded as South Florida’s laboratory for new entrepreneurial ideas and technologies. The Research Park at FAU is governed by the Florida Atlantic Research and Development Authority, an independent special district created by Palm Beach and Broward counties in partnership with Florida Atlantic University, organized under Chapter 159, Part V, Florida Statutes.  (www.research-park.org)

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