The Innovation Monthly is your source for the latest news and insights on Florida's Innovation Economy.       

November 2009 Highlights:

• High-Tech Battery Maker to Build $200M Lithium-Ion Factory in Jacksonville
• R&D Leader, Draper Laboratory, Opens 2 Florida Facilities
• Tampa's Moffitt Cancer Center Attracts $10M
• Florida University Ranked No. 1 for Technology Commercialization

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Florida's Tampa International Airport and Orlando International Airport placed among Zagat's Top 5 Best on the Ground category for highest overall airport quality. (Read more)

Sanford-based High Rise Escape Systems Inc. was named the Winner of the Broad Category of Best Clean-Up, Decontamination, Disaster Preparedness or Recovery Product in GSN: Government Security News' 1st Annual Homeland Security Awards Competition. (Read more)

Gainesville's Xhale Innovations, Inc. announced today that its hand hygiene system, HyGreen, is the recipient of the 2009 "Best of What's New" award from Popular Science magazine. HyGreen was chosen by Popular Science for its use of technology to safeguard health. (Read more)

The rapid growth of the US solar market has sparked innovation in technologies and in many new market strategies and regulatory structures. This webinar, produced by Greentech Media and Enterprise Florida, provides an analysis of the US solar market and features speakers from three Florida organizations who discuss their novel approaches to solar energy generation and distribution. View now!

Hillsborough County Schools took a bow on the national stage Thursday, officially winning a $100 million teacher effectiveness grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The award, part of a $335 million investment into a handful of districts, puts Hillsborough squarely on the cutting edge of national reform efforts. (Read more)

South Florida Community College's Allied Health department has partnered with Heartland Workforce to expand its current Transition-Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) to Registered Nurse (RN) Associate in Applied Science degree program. (Read more)

High-tech battery maker Saft, receives a $95 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to begin construction of the lithium-ion (Li-ion) factory of the future in Jacksonville. The total estimated cost of the project is around $200 million, and it will bring roughly 279 jobs to the area during the next six years. (Read more)

Tampa's Moffitt Cancer Center has been awarded nearly $19 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health, including a prestigious Grand Opportunities grant to study patient-centered outcomes research. Moffitt was also selected by the National Cancer Institute as one of 12 institutions to serve as Physical Science-Oncology Centers to advance the use of physics, mathematics and related disciplines to study the development of cancer. (Read more)

Coast Water Efficient Technology, LLC (Coast WET) has moved its international headquarters and manufacturing facilities from California to Bay County, Fla. Within three years of opening its doors, Coast WET is projected to create 230 new jobs. (Read more)