Through contracts with the UWF Research Foundation, the University's extensive human and physical resources are available to help meet corporate research, technology and development needs and to help industry sustain its technology base. By contracting for use of university resources, industry can save on costly long-term investments of capital and labor in research and development. Companies and university researchers can also look to the UWF Research Foundation as a vehicle for transferring scientific discoveries, technology, products and processes developed through UWF research to the marketplace. The Foundation can arrange for the patenting, copyright, licensing, and sale of intellectual properties and develop arrangements in which the Foundation takes an equity position in a commercial activity. A board of 12 directors is responsible for the management and general administration of the UWF Research Foundation.
Board members serve for one-year terms.
The UWF Research Foundation is administered through an Executive Director who reports to the Board of Directors. The University of West Florida celebrated its 30th year as an institution in 1998. Its faculty members provide a broad array of research and technical expertise through the College of Science and Technology, the College of Education. UWF is recognized as a research leader in artificial intelligence, biology and bioremediation, archaeology, economic development, and other areas. Any business, industry or UWF faculty member can submit a research proposal to the Executive Director, outlining a research idea and research procedures.