Spotlight On: Andrew Duffell, President, Research Park at Florida Atlantic

Key points:

• • Research Park at FAU is expanding its innovation role through stronger university ties, new companies, and global incubator growth.
• • Demand remains strong across tech and life sciences, with AI and healthcare driving activity and no slowdown in job creation.
• • Regional collaboration, talent pipelines, and public-sector investment are key to sustaining South Florida’s innovation economy.

April 2026 — Invest: caught up with Andrew Duffell, president of Research Park at Florida Atlantic, to learn about their momentum coming out of its 40th anniversary year, its deepening partnership with Florida Atlantic University, and why innovation districts remain essential as new technologies impact the economy. “We certainly haven’t seen any job losses in the park, quite the contrary,” Duffell said.

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What have been some key milestones for the Research Park at Florida Atlantic, and the impact on its role in South Florida’s innovation economy?

We just celebrated our 40th anniversary in 2025. We used it to recognize the partners and leaders who built the foundation that allows us to create the impact we are experiencing today.

We’re structured to think regionally. Our governing Authority includes leaders from both Palm Beach and Broward counties, so our strategy reflects both economies. We’re still finalizing the full economic impact data from 2025, and we expect to see strong results.

A major milestone is that our relationship with Florida Atlantic University is deeper and stronger than it has ever been. That means more access to faculty expertise for our companies, more students pursuing internships in the Park, and more graduates converting those experiences into full-time roles. Companies are also giving back through guest lectures, participating on advisory boards, and other engagement that strengthens the talent and commercialization pipeline, including some serving in university governance and supporting the institution through philanthropy.

Alignment at the leadership level matters, too. With President Hasner’s appointment, we’ve been able to continue deepening the partnership, and he’s familiar with how we operate and what we’re trying to achieve. The university’s COO, who previously served as interim president, remains on our board and continues as chair, which reflects the importance FAU places on its relationship with the Research Park.

Growth-wise, the second half of 2025 was especially strong. We signed agreements that will bring additional companies into the Park in 2026, increasing scientific collaboration and day-to-day economic activity.

We’re also aiming to expand the built footprint. We may see a groundbreaking tied to BioStem Technologies, which has announced plans to build its headquarters in the Research Park on four acres. BioStem has grown significantly, wants to consolidate operations, and is seeking closer research collaboration with FAU.

Our Global Ventures incubator also had a record year, serving 35 companies from 12 countries. That international demand highlights South Florida’s role as a gateway for innovators entering the U.S. market and building here with local talent as they translate new ideas into our marketplace.

FAU’s growing research profile supports that. The university achieved the Carnegie R1 designation in 2025, and it’s also recognized for helping students move across income barriers. Those strengths help attract companies and talent, and the resulting growth can further elevate the university, creating a virtuous cycle.

What trends are you seeing across South Florida’s technology and life sciences sectors, and how is that shaping the demand for research park innovation districts?

The Research Park has always functioned as a laboratory for emerging technologies, where companies test innovations, refine them, and translate them into market-ready products.

Healthcare continues to be a core engine, spanning novel medical devices, care delivery, imaging, and the software that supports it. At the same time, AI is accelerating change across nearly every industry. University research and entrepreneurial experimentation are helping companies understand where AI can generate meaningful positive impact, and how to implement it responsibly.

There’s also understandable concern around employment and how organizations use space. But our demand has not slowed. We provide a flexible, price-sensitive environment for rapid iteration, and we expect overall activity to remain strong, even if some firms adjust square footage.

We certainly haven’t seen any job losses in the Park, quite the contrary, and I haven’t heard that sort of discussion for this year. Like previous industrial shifts, we expect new roles to emerge, and the students and recent graduates we meet are energized and building toward that future.

Innovation districts remain important because proximity fuels collaboration. When smart people are close enough to share ideas and test them quickly, innovation speeds up, and that’s difficult to replicate at a distance.

What role does the Research Park have in Broward County?

We’ve had long-standing partnerships with Broward County government, particularly through the Office of Economic and Small Business Development and county administration. We also have a 10-acre site in Deerfield Beach that contributes to the region’s innovation ecosystem, especially in insurance-related work tied to risk mitigation, disaster recovery, and coastal resilience.

The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance has been an instrumental partner for many years, and we see additional opportunity in coordinating with FAU’s Broward presence in places like Fort Lauderdale, Davie, and Dania Beach.

Looking ahead, we’re focused on ways to deepen impact in Broward that match the county’s strengths. The ocean economy is one example, including coastal sustainability, tourism, cruise activity, and logistics-related innovation. Aviation and advanced technology tied to propulsion and energy storage are also long-standing areas of opportunity.

What challenges are companies in your footprint facing in the current economic climate, and how does the Research Park help them navigate those pressures?

The most persistent challenge is the cost of living, particularly housing. It affects students, recent graduates, and experienced workers, and it’s an issue every employer is facing. Insurance costs and sustained housing demand have pushed prices higher, and we’re working with partners to explore what practical, scalable solutions could look like over time.

We also see pressure from uncertainty in trade and investment policy, which can slow decisions and raise costs for industries connected to international activity.

Our role is to help companies grow through access to translational research, talent pipelines, flexible and activated spaces, and a community built for faster learning. For international firms entering the U.S. market, we focus on helping them bring technology and capital into the region while building and growing with local expert talent.

We don’t have a people problem in Florida. We want more ideas, more intellectual capital, and more financial capital that can be translated into employment opportunities for Broward County residents and returns for companies and for the region: partnerships are central to that work.

Looking ahead, what investment and partnership priorities will be most critical to sustaining long-term economic impact for South Florida over the next three to five years?

We need to keep building a cohesive regional approach. South Florida has the scale and economic strength to compete nationally, but we’re most effective when we operate like a region rather than as separate counties.

It’s encouraging to see collaboration among groups like the Alliance, the Beacon Council, and the Business Development Board, alongside other innovation partners in the marine, higher education, and entrepreneurship ecosystems. Working together is a force multiplier.

We also need continued public-sector investment, because some priorities that underpin long-term competitiveness cannot be solved by the private sector alone. The opportunity over the next several years is to align strategy, invest in the enabling infrastructure, and keep strengthening the institutions that power innovation and talent development.

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