Selected Projects
Developing and Expanding Florida Small Businesses' Alternative Energy and Export Markets
The Patel Center for Global Solutions has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Education Business and International Education Program to assist small businesses in Florida that are producing alternative energy goods and services to expand their export markets.
This award is a response to the current global economic crisis which demonstrates how interconnected the world has become, as the negative im pacts of the financial crisis have rippled across countries near and far. The United States Congressional stimulus package acknowledges that this downturn provides an opportunity for new growth via “green” industries, particularly in the renewable energy sector, with the hopes of creating new jobs while helping the environment. The Patel Center at the University of South Florida and its collaborating partners in the Florida Network for Global Studies (FNGS) – University of Florida, University of North Florida, University of Central Florida, Florida International University, and Florida State University - are poised to help small businesses throughout the state take advantage of this “win-win” scenario, with an educational program that builds their capacity to export alternative energy goods and services throughout the world. At the same time, the grant will provide resources and expertise to strengthen the global expertise of faculty and students within the Florida State University system on this important sector. The project objectives are:
1. To strengthen the business and engineering curricula with courses related to the expanded world-wide use of alternative energy
2. To develop internships, study abroad, and other opportunities for students to acquire global export business experience in the alternative energy sector
3. To strengthen University outreach to small businesses that provide alternative energy products and services
4. To host conferences that assist Florida small business enterprises engaged in the development of alternative energy products and services for global markets
Two target markets have been chosen for the initial focus of this grant: the Dominican Republic and Panama.