A long-awaited pilot program designed to offer training and loans to thriving, mid-stage Florida companies is beginning to take shape -- and take applications.

The University of Central Florida unveiled a new website (www.growfl.com) Thursday that is accepting applications for technical assistance, while the Black Business Investment Fund (www.bbif.com) is accepting loan applications.

The so-called Economic Gardening Program offers loans of between $50,000 and $250,000 for working capital, employee training and to cover salaries for newly-created jobs.

While Gov. Charlie Crist announced the $8.5 million program in January, it has been slow to get off the ground at a time when small businesses have been clamoring for credit.

In order to qualify, companies must have between 10 to 50 employees, $1 million to $25 million in annual revenue, and have seen growth in three of the last five years.

While only about 8 percent of Florida companies meet that criteria, those companies account for about 40 percent of all new job growth, said Tom O'Neal, the associate vice president of research and commercialization at the University of Central Florida, which will be providing training.

``Most of the [qualified companies] are so busy trying to learn how to grow that they really need a lot of help,'' he said. ``This program is targeting that segment of companies that are disproportionately productive.''

Among the services UCF will be offering are access to high-end databases, marketing assistance and one-on-one counseling. The pilot program will allow UCF to provide intensive counseling to about 300 companies and assist about 1,000, O'Neal said.

So far, about 12 companies from South Florida have been nominated for the program, said Bob Swindell, the president of the Broward Alliance, which has been working with other economic development groups to identify qualified candidates.

The pilot program addresses two of the biggest economic stumbling blocks for Florida: lack of credit and high unemployment.

The statewide unemployment rate hit 11.2 percent in October, and many small businesses complain that banks are not lending.

The Economic Gardening Program is modeled after a similar program in Colorado.