BioMonde, a U.K.-based wound-care company that specializes in larval therapy, wants to expand its operation into Gainesville by participating in the Qualified Target Industry (QTI) Program. At its Tuesday meeting, the Alachua County Commission approved its request in a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Mike Byerly, who doesn’t support the QTI program as a whole, in dissent.
If BioMonde locates to Gainesville as part of the QTI program, the county would make a $16,200 contribution payable over four years, according to a county report. The company hopes to establish an expansion at the Florida Innovation Hub at UF, possibly by July.
BioMonde would create 18 Florida jobs with an average annual wage of $52,500, according to a report on the potential QTI project. It is also considering Boston, Mass., and Atlanta, Ga., as possible locations for its expansion.
The company manufactures and distributes larval therapy, which is also called biosurgery or maggot therapy, for use on wounds, according to its website. Larval therapy uses the greenbottle fly’s larvae to remove necrotic or infected tissue in wounds, among other medical purposes.
Through the QTI program, companies receive rebates for creating a certain number of jobs, which varies from case to case. The state covers 80 percent of the rebate, while local governments take care of the remaining 20 percent. Both the Alachua County Commission and Gainesville City Commission must agree to contribute 10 percent each for any local QTI participant.