Helping grow Georgia’s economy has been part of Georgia Tech’s mission since its founding in 1885. Our direct economic impact on the state was $3.3 billion in 2018, and accounted for some 27,000 jobs in metro Atlanta alone. Our broader impact comes through a commitment to help create or save jobs, strengthen communities’ economic competitiveness, and help entrepreneurs establish new companies.

The Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2) is Tech’s chief economic development arm and in 2018 served nearly 11,000 businesses, communities, and entrepreneurs. Through that work, our EI2 programs worked with clients to create or save 16,000 jobs, secure more than $2.3 billion in contracts and sales, and attract in excess of $495 million in startup capital investments.

In 2018, Georgia Tech’s VentureLab program helped form 24 faculty startups, and attracted more than $162 million in investment. VentureLab helps faculty, staff and students turn research results into startup companies that generate jobs and economic impact for the state of Georgia. The I-Corps initiative, supported by the National Science Foundation, helps scientists and engineers extend their focus beyond the laboratory and fosters entrepreneurship leading to commercialization.

Georgia Tech is also investing in the state through research and strategic initiatives such as the Georgia Smart Communities Challenge, which is collaborating with eight communities across the state. Georgia Smart connects cities and counties to Georgia Tech’s applied and multi-disciplinary research and works with these local communities to create solutions to tackle their unique needs through the application of technology.

The Center for Economic Development Research (CEDR), is leading the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) initiative for the 15-county northwest Georgia region. This project is focused on the development and implementation of that region’s first advanced manufacturing strategy. Tech also is working with the Georgia Ports Authority and the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics to bring advanced research, evolving global logistics trends, and analysis from the world to Savannah through Tech’s Supply Chain and Logistics Institute. The goal of the project is to facilitate further growth and expansion of the Georgia Ports Authority’s service area.