Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center

Georgia smart communities challenge selects four new community projects

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After a successful launch in 2018, Georgia Tech’s Georgia Smart Communities Challenge named four new grant recipients at a special event at the government center in Macon June 18.

The 2019 winning proposals are Columbus Smart Uptown, Macon Smart Neighborhoods, Milton Smarter Safer Routes to School, and Woodstock Smart Master Plan and Corridor Study.

This is the second round of Georgia Smart Communities Challenge, a funding and technical assistance program for local governments in the state of Georgia.  Recipients are to develop a pilot project around mobility and equity and smart resilience with assistance from a Georgia Tech researcher.  The projects utilize smart technology such as intelligent infrastructures, information, and communication technologies; Internet-of-Things devices; and other computational or digital technologies such as data centers and portals, web and smartphone applications, and automated digital services.

“Georgia Tech is very proud to have played a leadership role in the Georgia Smart program, which we believe will improve the quality of life in the participating communities and also provide models for other communities throughout Georgia to consider as they strive to make life better for their citizens,” said Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson.

Continue reading at:  Georgia Tech News Center

Cabrera named President of the Georgia Institute of Technology

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The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG) recently named Dr. Ángel Cabrera president of the Georgia Institute of Technology.  He will assume the position before September 15, 2019.

“Georgia Tech will continue to excel under the leadership of Dr. Cabrera,” said USG Chancellor Steve Wrigley.  “His experience, skillset and deep ties to his alma mater will serve the campus community well, and his vision for the future will help lead Georgia Tech to new heights.  I am grateful to the Board of Regents and the search committee for their time and effort in this selection process, and I congratulate Dr. Cabrera on his new role.”

Cabrera has served as president of George Mason University (GMU), a top-tier research institution and the largest public university in Virginia, since 2012.

“Dr. Cabrera is an excellent choice to lead Georgia Tech as its next president,” said Board of Regents Chairman Don Waters.  “I am confident that he will work diligently on behalf of students while advancing Georgia Tech’s growth, priorities and world-class reputation.  On behalf of the Board of Regents, I welcome Dr. Cabrera back to Georgia Tech and look forward to working with him.”

Continue Reading at:  University System of Georgia website

Georgia Tech marks $42 million expanded research presence in Cobb County

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A Cobb County facility expanded to the tune of $42 million is expected to play a larger role in the state’s aerospace industry and the country’s defense efforts.

Officials with Georgia Tech Research Institute — a nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology — cut the ribbon Wednesday, May 8th on its expanded Cobb County Research Facility off Atlanta Road and adjacent to both Dobbins Air Reserve Base and Lockheed Martin.

Wednesday’s ceremony unveiled the redeveloped 350,000 square feet of space, which came to GTRI after it purchased for $21 million four buildings on an unused, 52-acre Lockheed Martin site in December 2017, the MDJ previously reported.  The additional space will give the university entity more room to support its research goals, which its interim director, Lora Weiss, said is of “incredible importance” to national security.

Continue reading at:  Marietta Daily Journal

Georgia Tech to host international conference on Internet of Things and sustainability

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The Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for the Development and Application of Internet of Things Technologies (CDAIT) will host an international conference on the Internet of Things (IoT) and sustainability July 18, 2019, at the Georgia Tech Research Institute in Atlanta.

Titled “The Internet of Things for Sustainability is Smart Business,” the conference will explore catalysts and use cases to examine some of the key promises and challenges that relate to the application of IoT technologies toward building a sustainable world.  Secondarily, the conference aims to highlight the business opportunities that exist at the intersection of IoT and sustainability.

Continue reading at:  Georgia Tech News Center

Georgia Tech symposium offers vision of Atlanta as global higher education hub

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More than three hundred representatives of non-profits, community organizations, K-12 educators, and university faculty members from around Atlanta and the nation gathered on the Georgia Institute of Technology campus in April for the inaugural Atlanta Global Studies Symposium.

The April 25–27 symposium focused on global education, advanced language learning, international studies, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The symposium and other initiatives of the Atlanta Global Studies Center —a partnership of Georgia Tech and Georgia State University — have helped to highlight the city’s growing role as a global hub for higher education, said President G.P. “Bud” Peterson.

“Our city is building a rich ecosystem and infrastructure of research, development, and education that is bringing the world to the Southeast and Georgia to the world,” Peterson told the symposium.  “Leveraging this richness in partnership with the public and private sector is one of the most exciting prospects of this new center — and this symposium.  It has the potential to connect people to issues that are critically significant to longer-term sustainable development.”

Read more at the: Georgia Tech News Center

SBA and Atlanta MBDA to host 8(a) training event May 13th

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The SBA Georgia District Office and Atlanta MBDA Business and Advanced Manufacturing Centers will be jointly hosting a half-day event related to the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development Program.  The purpose of the event is to foster new 8(a) applicants and to provide instruction to current 8(a) participants on how to maximize the impact of their 8(a) program experience.  The event will also provide training on how 8(a) participants can prepare for transitioning out of the program successfully at the end of their program term.

Topics Include:

  • The Federal Contracting Market and the 8(a) Program
  • 8(a) Program Best Practices
  • 8(a) Program Eligibility and Application Process
  • Effective Marketing to Federal Agencies
  • Capacity Building Tools / Resources for Current 8(a) Participants

There is no fee to attend.  But seats are limited, so registration is required.

Date:  Monday, May 13, 2019

Time:  9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET

Location:  Georgia Tech Research Institute Conference Center, 250 14th Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30318

Register here:  https://www.sba.gov/event/1640787

Chris Downing, vice president and director of Enterprise Innovation Institute, announces retirement

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Chris Downing, VP of EI2

Chris Downing, who has led the Georgia Institute of Technology’s economic development efforts as vice president and director of the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2), is retiring after 31 years of service.

Downing, who has led EI2 since 2016, leaves behind a decades-long legacy of leadership experience at Georgia Tech in technology-based economic development, university outreach and technical assistance, entrepreneurship and start-up support, and program management.

His retirement is effective June 1, 2019.

“I feel very fortunate for such a diverse and challenging career and to have shared so many good years with the Georgia Tech family, and I am very appreciative of the many faculty, staff, and students who have made my time at Georgia Tech so interesting and inspiring,” Downing said. “Although I am leaving my full-time duties, I look forward to staying connected to Georgia Tech and supporting its mission of progress and service.”

After leaving IBM where he was a mechanical facilities engineer, Downing joined Georgia Tech in 1988 as a senior research engineer with the Georgia Tech Research Institute.

In 1996, he joined EI2 — then called the Economic Development Institute (EDI) — as the Griffin regional office manager and provided industrial extension and economic development services to the south metro Atlanta region.

Two years later, he was named group manager of technology services for the Economic Development Institute, where he was charged with overall management of technology deployment and information technology services to more than 200 EDI staff and associates located both on campus and in 12 regional offices across the state. In addition, this group provided technical research services for EDI clients in industry, business, and community economic development organizations.

In 2005, he was tapped to lead EI2’s Industry Services group, which included several key outreach programs: the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP), the Energy and Environmental Management Center, the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC), the Southeast Trade Adjustment Assistance Center (SETAAC), and the Georgia Tech Regional Office Network.

Downing was named EI2’s associate vice president in 2013 and vice president in 2016.

In that time, he spearheaded the three-fold expansion of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) and created the Venture Center space that has helped to attract several Fortune 100 corporate innovation centers to Technology Square.

His technology-based economic development efforts helped Georgia Tech and the EI2 win the prestigious “2014 Innovation Award” from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and the “2014 Outstanding Research Park Award” from the Association of Research Parks.

Most recently, Downing led the feasibility study for the expansion of Georgia Tech’s second research park, Technology Enterprise Park, into a broader life sciences and technology innovation district.

“Chris has been a tireless champion and supporter of our economic development initiatives, working to maintain strong partnerships across the state while creating new collaborations,” said Georgia Tech President G. P. “Bud” Peterson. “We appreciate his leadership role as Georgia Tech partners with the state to strengthen Georgia’s economy.”

Downing is a graduate of the University of Florida, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering.

Georgia Power announces new microgrid project with Georgia Tech

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Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson, left, and Georgia Power Chairman, President and CEO Paul Bowers sign a memorandum of understanding to launch a microgrid to power buildings in Tech Square.

Georgia Power announced on March 6th, in collaboration with Georgia Tech, it will build a new 1.4 MW microgrid in Tech Square at Spring and Fifth streets in Midtown Atlanta. Microgrids are self-contained power systems co-located with the facilities they serve that include generation resources, storage systems, and energy management systems.

The Tech Square Microgrid, which was approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission and will begin operating this fall, will be used to evaluate how a microgrid can effectively integrate into and operate as part of the overall electrical grid. Additionally, it will serve as a living laboratory for Georgia Tech professors and students who will use the asset to gather data on controllers, cybersecurity devices, and energy economics.

“The Tech Square Microgrid project will give us a better understanding of the resiliency, sustainability, and cost of microgrids to help develop emerging energy solutions to better serve our customers now and in the future,” said Paul Bowers, chairman, president, and CEO of Georgia Power. “Working with Georgia Tech gives us an opportunity to drive innovation by collaborating with one of the nation’s leading research institutions while students and faculty get a firsthand learning experience on an operating power system.”

The microgrid will provide Georgia Power with insight into how smart energy management systems, such as the one being installed at the Coda data center that is currently under construction, can interact with the grid to achieve optimal utilization of energy. In addition, it will also provide teaching and learning opportunities for Georgia Tech faculty and students.

“Georgia Tech and Georgia Power have partnered on a number of important initiatives over the years, and we are very excited about our latest collaborative effort, the new microgrid in Tech Square,” said Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson. “In addition to actually delivering power, it will also serve as a ‘research microgrid,’ allowing Georgia Power, Southern Company, Georgia Tech, and other partners to study the microgrid performance and conduct controlled experiments to develop and test new and innovative energy solutions for the future.”

The installation will include fuel cells, battery storage, diesel generators, and a natural gas generator, but it is adaptive to new and additional distributed energy resources. It is designed to also accommodate microturbines, solar panels, and electric vehicle chargers in the future. All components will be placed on a platform and obscured from view with seven-foot-high fencing and gate access along nearby Williams Street.

Source: https://www.news.gatech.edu/2019/03/06/georgia-power-announces-new-microgrid-project-georgia-tech

Current portfolio companies of Georgia Tech’s ATDC raise $114 million in investment capital in 2018

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Startups at the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), the state of Georgia’s technology incubator, raised more than $114.3 million in investment capital in 2018.

While the activity represents a slight decrease from the year-end 2017 figure of $140 million, it reflects the general investment trend nationally for 2018: Even though the deals made were larger, fewer deals were done overall.

When ATDC program graduates’ capital raises for the year are included — $380.8 million — the total amount of money that came to Georgia technology companies with ties to the incubator is $495.1 million.

“Our current portfolio and graduate companies really made a difference in Georgia’s deal flow activity in 2018, because of the roughly 100 deals that were done in the year, 68 of those were ATDC companies,” said Brad Schweizer, ATDC investor relations manager. “That’s nearly 70 percent of all the Georgia deals and it speaks to the quality and caliber of companies that we have in our portfolios.”

In addition to the $114.3 million in capital funding current ATDC portfolio startups received from investors, they garnered an additional $8.4 million in non-dilutive funds from federal grant awards in 2018.

That’s nearly triple the amount received in 2017.

“This is significant because these federal grants and awards are extremely competitive for companies that are still refining and verifying their research and technologies,” said Connie Casteel, ATDC’s program manager for grant awards and funding.

Key to ATDC’s continued success with its portfolios is its Investor Connect program, which curates meaningful interactions between the startups and investors.

That, along with programming that prepares the startups for successfully raising money and make long-term connections with investors, is a critical component of why Investor Connect has been so successful, Schweizer said.

In 2018 the program strategically curated more than 500 connections with introductions to more than 250 different venture capitalists and angel investors.

“Introducing our companies to the investor community and making meaningful connections is our core focus,” Schweizer said. “Through our events and meetings with the venture capitalist firms such as our yearly ATDC Venture Showcases on the East Coast and West Coast and our ATDC Startup Showcase, investors continue to see as a critical and trusted partner for deal flow with high-growth startups for their firms.”

Among those investors is Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Las Olas Venture Capital. The firm, which has more $30 million in assets under management, was the lead investor in the $4.5 million seed round of DEVCON, an ATDC portfolio company whose proprietary cybersecurity software technology helps media publishers maximize advertising revenue by identifying and eliminating fraudulent ads within their networks.

Las Olas Venture Capital also was the co-lead investor in Cypress.io’s $4 million seed round.

Cypress, another ATDC portfolio company, provides front-end automated software testing for anything that runs in a browser.

“What ATDC does well and what makes it different from other programs is the entrepreneurial fabric that makes up ATDC,” said Esteban Reyes, one of Las Olas Venture Capital’s founding partners. “You have former CEOs and founders in the equation at ATDC, working and engaging with the startups in the program in ways that are useful and practical for those startup founders.”

Las Olas focuses its investments mainly in companies that are business-to-business and creating the next generation of enterprise technologies.

DEVCON, Reyes said, is in a sector with a $40 billion opportunity, while Cypress has a $20 billion opportunity.

The two companies, he said, reflect another strategic difference with ATDC in that the incubator, which is a program of the Georgia Institute of Technology, focuses on leveraging Atlanta’s strengths to build successful technology companies.

“ATDC and Georgia Tech are taking a long-term view with their strategic focus to turn Atlanta into a major tech hub,” Reyes said. “They’re looking at the key levers that Atlanta has to its advantage and pulling those levers.

“There’s a trifecta here of new startup founders, ATDC’s team of experienced entrepreneurs, and Georgia Tech’s technical student talents. ATDC has found the right way to engage those three stakeholders and provide them with a platform so they can be collaborative and productive, which is very unique.”

About ATDC

The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a program of the Georgia Institute of Technology, is the state of Georgia’s technology startup incubator. Founded in 1980 by the Georgia General Assembly which funds it each year, ATDC’s mission is to work with entrepreneurs in Georgia to help them learn, launch, scale, and succeed in the creation of viable, disruptive technology companies. Since its founding, ATDC has grown to become one of the longest running and most successful university-affiliated incubators in the United States, with its graduate startup companies raising $3 billion in investment financing and generating more than $12 billion in revenue in the state of Georgia. To learn more, visit atdc.org.

About ATDC Investor Connect

ATDC strategically matches its portfolio companies to capital through curated investor interactions. The investor relations manager is available for consultations to help companies develop a focused funding strategy. In addition, the manager works with the incubator’s coaching staff for funding preparation. The outcome creates exceptionally engineered investor readiness, resulting in high value deal flow for investors. For more information, visit atdc.org/how-we-help/capital.

Source: https://atdc.org/atdc-news/advanced-technology-development-center-current-portfolio-companies-raise-114-million-in-investment-capital-in-2018/

Georgia Tech develops safety app for social workers

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Georgia’s social workers have a new way to stay safe when their jobs take them to dangerous neighborhoods.

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) designed “panic buttons” that the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) is rolling out among its employees. It works with the Click Safe app, which is used by child-welfare investigators and case managers.

When pressed, the button on a key fob transmits a signal via Bluetooth to an app on the worker’s state-issued cellphone. The phone then silently notifies the agency’s call center, where a trained operator contacts the nearest 911 center with details on the alarm, a description of the employee, the location, and a request to rush law enforcement officers to the scene.

DFCS professionals can’t choose where they go, but the app is “a way to protect them when they’re protecting Georgia’s children,” said Tom Rawlings, the division’s interim director.

“Our child-safety professionals are trained to de-escalate unpleasant situations, but having a panic button gives them assurance that help will be there if their verbal techniques aren’t successful,” Rawlings added.

Development of Click Safe represents cooperation between two state entities. GTRI worked on the project at the request of Gov. Nathan Deal as part of his child-welfare initiatives.

“Georgia Tech is proud to be part of this innovative collaboration between the Georgia Tech Research Institute, the state of Georgia, and the Department of Family and Children Services,” said President G.P. “Bud” Peterson. “We expect the Click Safe emergency-response system to become a powerful tool in helping protect DFCS case managers and child-welfare investigators in sometimes-dangerous situations as they focus on their vital work of ensuring the safety of Georgia’s children.”

The work draws on GTRI’s specialized telecommunications expertise. Scientists adapted off-the-shelf technology to stand up to rigorous field testing to ensure reliable functionality across the state.

The system operates silently and out of sight. That’s to keep from alerting anyone threatening a case worker that law enforcement is on the way and potentially making a tense situation more dangerous in the minutes before officers arrive.

To prevent accidental triggering of the device, the button must be pressed either for five seconds or five times in succession.

Learn more about the device here.

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