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The inaugural French Business Forum focused on life sciences innovation with one of Florida’s leading international trade partners

ľƵ World forum is first step toward a new French connection

People standing in lobby From left to right: Dee Garcia, Tampa Bay Wave; Elizabeth Nelson, ľƵ; Consul General Raphael Trapp, France; Shannon Pastizzo, ľƵ CONNECT; Christian Brechot, ľƵ Health and Paul Sohl, Florida High Tech Corridor

France has long been a leading source of foreign direct investment in Florida. Over 200 French companies operate within the state, with French-owned affiliates contributing to the creation of more than 33,000 Florida jobs. At ľƵ’s inaugural French Business Forum in November, participants discovered a natural synergy between emerging technologies, which are shaping both the University of South Florida’s status as a global research institution and France’s future economy.  

Co-hosted by ľƵ World and the and drawing more than 80 attendees, the forum featured , and focused on life sciences innovation, a key sector for the state as its innovation economy grows. While health-related research and innovation is conducted in many ľƵ areas, ľƵ Health accounted for about 60% of the university’s total research awards in 2023. Life sciences is the basis for scores of startups founded by faculty, students, and alumni. 

In a conversation with —  an internationally-renowned cellular and molecular biologist who serves as the Senior Associate Dean of Research for Global Affairs at Morsani College of Medicine and as Associate Vice President of International Partnerships & Innovation — Trapp said Florida is seen as a high-potential location for French biotech firms. Brechot joined ľƵ after serving as president of the Institut Pasteur in Paris. His research discoveries have formed the basis of three startup companies. 

French entrepreneurs see Florida as a place that provides a wide range of opportunities.

French entrepreneurs see Florida as a place that provides a wide range of opportunities. “This is a good start for these companies to enter here,” Trapp said. “Florida is not the same as Boston or San Francisco. Here in Florida, there is a special added value. First, in terms of partnership with universities, big research centers, and big hospitals, it’s easy compared to Boston or San Francisco or other places in California for companies to propose their products, to propose their solutions, and to find people to listen to l them and to partner with them.

France's investment in Florida as a venue for expansion for its tech companies began in 2020, when was launched, drawing more than 150 French entrepreneurs, startups, investors, engineers, designers, developers, non-profits, and media and government representatives to bolster French startups in the city. “For small companies that need seed investment, Florida this is the place to be,” Trapp added. 

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Network France

ľƵ is key to that connectivity to France, said ľƵ World Vice President Kiki Caruson. ľƵ World Network France includes more than 500 ľƵ alumni who now live in France and more than 800 ľƵ students have studied abroad in the county, mostly in Paris but also Provence, Nice, Cannes, and Lyon, she said. For more than 30 years, the Florida-France Linkage Institute, a program created by state law, has facilitated that connection with opportunities for French students to study at ľƵ on in-state tuition, as do programs like the Raymond and Simone Miklos Endowed Scholarship, which supports French students or those with French heritage studying at ľƵ. One of Tampa’s sister cities is in the Normandy region. 

ľƵ's global emphasis as a university drives numerous initiatives and programs focused on international collaboration, including direct partnerships with French institutions and companies. 

Department of world linguistics and student president of the french club talking with micsShannon Pastizzo, Deeksha Sridher, and Anne Latowsky discussing university support for french businesses

For example: 

  • The Department of World Languages has built a popular program in applied French language for business that equips students with a linguistic and cultural understanding of operating with French enterprises. The program will expand and offer applications in the health field next year, said Department Chair Anne Latowsky. , a ľƵ pre-med student and president of the ľƵ French Club, shared with the crowd how she’s learning to write a CV and a cover letter in French, which requires more subtle cultural knowledge than merely translating from English.

  • , associate director for , shared with the audience that since 2022, an exchange program has sent 11 ľƵ medical students to French partner universities while ľƵ received 12 students from France to do their observership at Tampa General Hospital, ľƵ’ academic medicine partner. “It’s from such opportunities that students really get ideas,” he said.

  • Shannon Pastizzo, director of ľƵ CONNECT where the university’s various startup incubator programs and the Tampa Bay Technology Incubator are housed, said international startups can find their home in the ľƵ Research Park. It’s where they can access entrepreneurship coaching programs, potential funding streams, and a network of established firms and other startups in their sector. 

Spotlight on Innovation

Two people talking with mics

ľƵ Health Senior Research Scientist and , a neurobiologist at the Sarasota-based Roskamp Institute and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, are two life sciences researchers who have built careers in the Tampa Bay Region. Mouzon conducts research on the effects of neurotoxins found in Red Tide on the human brain. He is also part of an international team studying brain injuries among football players. Joly-Amado recently founded a startup and consults with a small French biotech company in addition to her research at ľƵ. Her work focuses on neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. 

Joly-Amado said the innovation of ľƵ and the surrounding community helps scientists in Florida learn how to be entrepreneurs. “Here at ľƵ especially, the students have access to entrepreneurship webinars and classes. They have scholarships and funding for students who want to develop their own startups,” she said. “When you go from being a scientist to owning a company, you know nothing about business. It is a game-changer for scientists to be able to build their own startups and become CEOs.” 

Mouzon said there are multiple opportunities for scientists to advance their work as there are more freedoms than in France’s tightly regulated employment environment. “If you want to work here, you can succeed,” he said. 

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About ľƵ World News

ľƵ World is the university's gateway to global engagement. Whether it be sharing the achievements of our students and faculty on campus, our partnerships within the community, or what our alumni accomplish globally, we bring you the stories of ľƵ Bulls around the world.