Welcoming Remarks


 Ray Iannucci
 Executive Director
 Florida High Technology and Industry Council
 Office of the Governor
 Tallahassee, Florida

 Governor Bob Graham asked me to welcome you to Florida and to read
to you his remarks. I am here representing the governor.
 The governor is honored that Dr. Kozmetsky and the University of Flori-
da's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences have chosen Florida as the
location for an international symposium on biotechnology. You are in an
exciting state and you are at an exciting university. Our state is committed
to forging new frontiers in science and technology. There is interest in our
industry, in our universities, and among our political leaders to support
research to help Florida become a national and international leader in
research.
 Only a few decades ago what happened in Florida did not matter very
much. To most of America, we were small, poor, and far away. Today
what happens in Florida sets trends that effect the world. Florida is on the
move and the University of Florida is on the move, as are our other univer-
sities. Florida has cast off the reputation as a "sun and fun" state and
assumed its rightful position as a leader in innovation, higher education,
and research.
 As a major economic development goal, the governor has targeted bio-
technology to be a major industry for Florida. This will require a solid
academic foundation, a world class research faculty, top quality facilities,
and instrumentation. Within our university system, the groundwork for
this foundation already exists.
 The governor's vision is to build upon this foundation and develop Flor-
ida into an internationally recognized source at the cutting edge of re-
search in biotechnology. This will require commitment, tenacity, and fore-
sight. The challenge before us in Florida is to develop our case to the
legislature and how best to link the creative energies in the laboratories to
the marketplace.
 The state must examine its support of basic research. Research partner-
ships must be formed. As the state provides the financing for research and
the scientists embark on a journey of discovery, the state policymakers