BAR HARBOR — Jackson Laboratory and the University of South Florida are looking beyond Collier County for a proposed research

Last week, Jackson Lab withdrew its application for $50 million in Florida state funds to build a facility in eastern Collier County. Jackson Lab officials said they will work with Florida’s new governor, Rick Scott, to move it forward.

The lab and the university said today they remain interested in Collier County, but they’ve begun preliminary discussions with officials in Hillsborough and Sarasota counties, as well.

Jackson Lab hoped to secure up to $200 million from the state and county to build a 145,000-square-foot research center that combines Jackson’s expertise on genomics and USF’s capabilities in clinical medicine.