The Central Florida Research Park (CFRP) is a research park abutting the main campus of the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida, United States. CFRP is the largest research park in Florida, the fourth largest in the United States by number of companies, and the seventh largest in the United States by number of employees. CFRP is home to numerous centers hosted by the United States Department of Defense, UCF, and private corporations.
Park
The Park was established as a result of legislation passed by the Florida Legislature in 1978, and is a cooperative effort between the University of Central Florida, the Orange County Research and Development Authority, and the Orange County Board of County Commissioners. The governing body of the Park is the Orange County Research and Development Authority. The university and officials of CFRP believe that the potential for the establishment of close ties between the university and industry will create an attractive environment conducive to the location of research-oriented industry in the Park. This activity will enrich and support the academic, teaching, and research programs of the university. Businesses can purchase or lease land in the park on which to construct a facility or can lease space for office, lab, or light manufacturing activities.
Planned to provide a campus-like environment for business and military modeling, simulation, and training (MS&T) commands and activities adjacent to UCF, the CFRP covers over 1,027-acre (4.16 km2), directly south of UCF's 1,415-acre (5.73 km2) main campus in Orlando. Located approximately 13 miles (21 km) northeast of downtown Orlando and 55 miles (89 km) southwest of Daytona Beach, the park was built to supplement the university's goal of providing highly trained personnel to support the Kennedy Space Center and NASA, which is located only 35 miles (56 km) to the east.[1]
Lockheed Martin maintains a large facility dedicated to simulation and training approximately 3.5 miles southwest of the Central Florida Research Park.
Camber Corporation maintained facilities in the Central Florida Research Park until relocating to The Quadrangle business park, approximately 1.5 miles to the northwest. It later relocated back to the south side of the park. In December 2016, Camber Corporation was acquired by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), which continues to maintain this facility as part of their Mission Technologies division. In 2022, HII acquired Alion Science and Technology Corporation and also took control of their Orlando facility.