The University of South Florida has teamed up with Jabil to create the USF Jabil Innovation Institute, thanks in part to a $1 million gift.
The institute will work with the USF Muma College of Business and College of Engineering to create innovative research and increase community engagement and talent development within the colleges.
“We are leveraging our strengths at the right time and right place — a Tampa Bay region that is continuing to build momentum as a creative, high-tech destination for the next generation of the technology-savvy workforce," USF President Steve Currall said in a statement. "And at the heart of it will be Jabil and USF, charting a groundbreaking course together.”
The announcement, made Thursday, comes after Jabil donated an $800,000 gift and $200,000 in research support. Jabil is the latest in several companies to donate innovation-focused gifts. In October 2018, Reliaquest donated $1 million to fund the ReliaQuest Cybersecurity Labs at the Muma College of Business. In May, cybersecurity firm KnowBe4 donated $500,000 to the Muma College of Business, along with $1.25 million worth of training over five years.
"[Jabil's] gift and research support to foster the partnership will create the type of opportunities our high-achieving students seek. We are so thankful that Jabil has chosen to contribute to our incredible momentum here at USF," USF Foundation CEO Joel Momberg said.
Jabil will lease space in the Tampa Bay Technology Incubator, located in USF's Research Park, where students and faculty will collaborate with Jabil teams. Jabil will also participate in leading programs for client companies at the incubator, and participate in USF innovation initiatives.
“We are looking forward to working even more closely with USF with this partnership,” Jabil CEO Mark Mondello said in a statement. “We firmly believe that together we can bridge business [and] engineering theory to the changing challenges of our global community."
Jabil is the second-largest public company in the Tampa Bay area with over $22 billion in 2018 revenue, according to Tampa Bay Business Journal research.
