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Karen Fite to lead Enterprise Innovation Institute as Interim Vice President

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The Georgia Institute of Technology has named Karen Fite interim vice president of its economic development unit, the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2).

Fite, who is EI²’s associate vice president, will lead the 12-program organization while Georgia Tech conducts a national search for a permanent vice president to succeed Chris Downing, who retired in June after 31 years of service.

EI2 is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive university-based program of business and industry assistance, technology commercialization, and economic development.

Fite, who also is director of EI2’s Business & Industry Services group of programs, has more than 26 years of economic development experience at Tech.

Continue reading at:  Georgia Tech News Center

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 Tech names new leadership for ATDC

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John Avery is the new director of Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC).

The Georgia Institute of Technology has named John Avery as its next director of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC).

Avery, a serial entrepreneur who was involved in four startups, assumes his position Nov. 6. Most recently, he was engineering group manager of Panasonic Automotive Systems’ Panasonic Innovation Center at the Georgia Tech campus.

A unit of the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2), Georgia Tech’s outreach and economic development arm, ATDC works with more than 800 technology startup entrepreneurs each year across Georgia. Founded in 1981, ATDC has become one of the most successful, longest-running, and largest university-based startup incubators in the country.

The announcement follows a comprehensive, four-month national search for a new leader at ATDC following the departure of Jen Bonnett, who left in June 2018 to become the Savannah Economic Development Authority’s vice president of innovation and entrepreneurship.

In taking the permanent appointment, Avery will lead a team of 26 full- and part-time staff and advisors who run ATDC’s various initiatives, including its financial, health, and retail technology verticals, support statewide activities such as the ATDC @ program, and coach technology entrepreneurs in Georgia.

Avery will report to Chris Downing, EI2 vice president and director.

“John is an outstanding leader and successful entrepreneur who understands the startup journey and commercialization process, with vast relationships in the startup and business communities,” Downing said. “We’re pleased to welcome him to EI2and see him bring ATDC, one of the nation’s premiere technology incubators, to even greater success in its mission of helping entrepreneurs build great companies here in Georgia.”

At Panasonic, Avery oversaw the innovation center’s development projects in next-generation automotive systems including, infotainment, bio-sensing, machine vision, deep learning, and heads-up displays.

A tech startup veteran with broad experience in data and wireless voice technologies, Avery was co-founder and chief technology officer of Convergence Corp., a maker of software that connects wireless devices to the Internet. Amazon acquired the company in 1999. Following that acquisition, he joined Amazon as engineering manager.

In 2001, Avery became an early employee of Mobliss, a mobile applications and messaging solutions company in the entertainment space. He later became the company’s chief technology officer. Japan’s Index Corp., a developer of mobile phone content and information and other media services such as video on demand,acquired Mobliss in 2004 for $15 million.

He holds six patents and owns Onboard Now, a developer of software for embedded devices such as smart phones, Web-enabled cameras, and industrial controls.

Avery, who sits on the board of the Midtown Alliance, is a familiar presence at ATDC, having served as a mentor to its startups since July of 2018.

“I am deeply honored to join ATDC and lead this amazing team,” Avery said. “ATDC’s work has resulted in the creation of great, disruptive Georgia companies in health, financial services, hardware, and numerous other sectors. I look forward to continuing ATDC’s momentum of success and legacy of impact.”

He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Georgia Tech.

About Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2)

Comprised of a dozen programs, including the Advanced Technology Development Center, Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive university-based program of business and industry assistance, technology commercialization, and economic development. Through its philosophy of innovation-led economic development, EI2serves all of Georgia through a variety of services and programs designed to create, accelerate, and growGeorgia’s tech-based economy. For more information, please visit, innovate.gatech.edu.

About the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC)

The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a program of Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, 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 more than $3 billion in investment financing and generating more than $12 billion in revenue in the state of Georgia. To learn more, visit atdc.org.

Source: https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2018/11/05/georgia-tech-names-new-director-for-advanced.html 

Ports Authority, Georgia Tech, and Center for Innovation sign MOU to tap into advanced logistics planning

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The Georgia Ports Authority, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on July 31 at the Port of Savannah that creates a new relationship aimed at supporting the state’s logistics industry in economic development, research, and education.

“For years, Georgia Tech has been honored to work together with the Ports Authority, Governor Nathan Deal’s office, and business and government throughout the state in logistics, transportation, manufacturing, and education to strengthen our State economy and create jobs,” said Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson. “We are pleased to further solidify this partnership to benefit Georgia’s transportation and logistics industry.”

The Georgia Ports Authority, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Tuesday (July 31) at the Port of Savannah that creates a new relationship aimed at supporting the state’s logistics industry in economic development, research and education. Pictured are from left, Griff Lynch, executive director, Georgia Ports Authority; U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Georgia; G.P. “Bud” Peterson, Georgia Tech president; Jimmy Allgood, Georgia Ports Authority chairman; and Matt Markham, director of the Center of Innovation for Logistics.

The goal of the MOU is to bring advanced research, evolving global logistics trends, and analysis from the world to Savannah. By tapping into the hands-on expertise at GPA and the Center of Innovation for Logistics — as well as the high-tech analysis and research at Georgia Tech’s Supply Chain and Logistics Institute — cargo owners and third-party logistics providers will gain superior insight into everything from when and where to build infrastructure to improved efficiency in cargo routing.

“Georgia Tech’s Supply Chain & Logistics Institute has established logistics improvement partnerships in global trade hubs such as Rotterdam, Singapore, Shenzhen, and Panama,” said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood.   “I am delighted to announce that for their first such agreement with a port authority in the Western Hemisphere, they have chosen an organization that is in their own state of Georgia.”

Georgia Tech’s Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering has been ranked No. 1 in the country for the past 28 years, and Georgia Tech is recognized as one of the leading research universities in the world.

Matt Markham, director of the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics, said the collaborative effort further strengthens the state’s position as an economic development leader.

“Most companies that choose Georgia as their home depend on its world-class logistics for their success,” Markham said. “Our new relationship builds on our center’s goal of providing company-specific analyses and facilitating connections between logistics providers and potential clients.”

The multi-modal network is designed to combine ocean, truck, rail, and air transportation to create optimal conditions for an easier and faster network. GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch said the initiative will allow the Georgia Ports Authority to continue growing its service area across the U.S. Southeast and beyond.

“We are excited to enter into this agreement between our organizations,” Lynch said. “The MOU leverages the Institute’s predictive analytics and supply chain optimization, the Center of Innovation for Logistics’ network of connections, and the GPA’s experience in the field as an industry leader.”

ABOUT THE GEORIA PORTS AUTHORITY:

Since 1945, Georgia’s ports have served as magnets for international trade and investment, enriching the state’s economy to benefit all Georgians. The Georgia Ports Authority is dedicated to providing customers with the most efficient, productive port facilities in the nation, and to creating jobs and business opportunities to benefit more than 9.7 million Georgians. The GPA is committed to maintaining its competitive edge through development of leading-edge technology, marketing and operations to move cargo faster. And, the Authority is working hard to identify what must be done today to sustain growth, performance and security for tomorrow.

ABOUT THE GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY:

The Georgia Institute of Technology, also known as Georgia Tech, is one of the nation’s leading research universities — a university that embraces change while continually creating the next. The next generation of leaders. The next breakthrough startup company. The next life-saving medical treatment. Georgia Tech provides a focused, technologically based education to more than 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Georgia Tech has many nationally recognized programs, all top-ranked by peers and publications alike, and is ranked in the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News and World Report. It offers degrees through the Colleges of Computing, Design, Engineering, Sciences, the Scheller College of Business, and the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. As a leading technological university, Georgia Tech has more than 100 centers focused on interdisciplinary research that consistently contribute vital research and innovation to American government, industry, and business.

ABOUT THE CENTER OF INNOVATION FOR LOGISTICS:

The Center of Innovation for Logistics facilitates innovative logistics solutions that leverage Georgia’s superior business climate and enhance cargo-owing companies’ competitiveness. Exclusive to Georgia, the Center collaborates with companies that currently ship to or from Georgia, as well as those looking to locate in Georgia to deploy the world’s best multi-modal logistics for supply chain success. With targeted efforts to engage its unique position in state government with partnerships in the logistics industry, the Center provides impactful forums for companies to network, address industry issues, and share knowledge.

Source: http://www.news.gatech.edu/2018/07/31/gpa-georgia-tech-center-innovation-sign-mou 

Disaster preparedness help available to manufacturers on Georgia’s coast

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The Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) is seeking eligible manufacturers to participate in a disaster assistance program designed to help companies that are located in the state’s coastal areas assess their preparedness and develop operational solutions to minimize the impact of future hurricanes and other natural disasters.

The $173,859 grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) funds the GaMEP’s Manufacturing Disaster Assistance Program (MDAP), which was developed to address the needs of Georgia manufacturers.

The funds for the two-year effort are specifically designated toward assisting manufacturers with operations in Coastal Georgia in Camden, Chatham, Charlton, Glynn, Liberty, and McIntosh counties. It also includes Coffee County, which is not on the coast, but was also severely impacted by flooding during 2017’s Hurricane Irma.

The counties are home to 408 manufacturing facilities that employ 23,000.

The MDAP creation follows a devastating 2017 hurricane season in which Hurricane Irma led to a mandatory evacuation of the coast’s nearly 540,000 residents and business owners, and resulted in estimated damages of more than $670 million. That’s on top of a 2016 evacuation of the Georgia coast following Hurricane Matthew, which caused more than $500 million in damages.

The goal with this tailored approach to help manufacturers on the Georgia Coast is two-pronged, said Ben Cheeks, GaMEP’s coastal region manager.

“First, we want to assist as many manufacturers as possible and get them operating at pre-Hurricane Irma levels — that includes employment and fully contributing to the regional and state economies,” Cheeks said. “The second part of this effort is to help them develop plans that they will already have in place to address future hurricanes and other natural disasters so they will positioned for as little disruption as possible in resuming operations.”

As part of the offering, GaMEP will leverage its expertise and resources at Georgia Tech, as well as its local, state, and federal economic development partners, including the Technical College System of Georgia and the MEP network, among other organizations, Cheeks said. Pooling resources at all levels ensures maximum impact for the affected companies and communities, he added.

The MDAP initiative will include assessments of the manufacturers’ needs, helping prioritize opportunities for sustainability and growth. It also will incorporate the development of pre and post-natural disaster protocols that address challenges manufacturers will face following hurricanes and other natural disasters, such as supply chain and infrastructure disruption, labor displacement, and financial constraints.

“We’re taking a 360-degree approach with this effort,” Cheeks said. “It’s designed to help position our coastal manufacturers proactively and ahead of the likely after-effects we will see in future storms that will affect the Georgia Coast.”

Eligible manufacturers are encouraged to email Ben Cheeks, GaMEP’s coastal region manager at ben.cheeks@innovate.gatech.edu.

Source: http://www.news.gatech.edu/2018/01/30/manufacturing-disaster-assistance-program-help-georgia-companies-prepare-natural 

Focus of Feb. 20th Georgia Innovation Summit is emerging technology

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How will emerging technologies affect small businesses and what that sector will be like in the future?

That core question is the theme of the 2018 Georgia Innovation Summit, scheduled for Feb. 20 at the Georgia Tech Research Institute Conference Center in Atlanta. (Register at this link: http://workforce.georgia.org/event/3rd-annual-innovation-summit/)

Now in its third year, the Georgia Innovation Summit is an annual gathering of the state’s top business, education, and government leaders who meet in a series of panel discussions to discuss emerging trends and innovations that will affect businesses of all sizes across Georgia.

The Georgia Mentor Protégé Connection — in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Georgia Centers of Innovation, and Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2) — is presenting this year’s summit.

Keynote speakers include Jen Bonnett, general manager of Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), and David Justice, the Georgia Centers of Innovation’s executive director.

“Emerging technologies are rapidly shaping and changing not only the types of businesses that are being created, but also how business itself is being done,” said EI2 vice president Chris Downing.

“The topics and themes we’ll be exploring this year reflect that understanding and will help attendees better understand how they can incorporate and use emerging technologies to drive business forward.”

Among the topics is financial technology (FinTech), an important sector in Georgia’s economy. Jeff Gapusan, ATDC’s FinTech catalyst, will moderate a panel discussion titled “FinTech’s Impact on Your Business.”

The industry is big in Georgia with 70 percent of the $5.3 trillion in annual U.S. card spending being processed through companies in Georgia. “FinTech isn’t static,” Downing said. “There’s constant disruption in this sector which is affecting everything from traditional banking to retail. This panel features the thought leaders in this space who are driving that innovation.”

Other panel topics include the Internet of Things (IoT), dealing with cybersecurity, and connecting businesses with the resources they need to navigate the ever-changing business climate.

USG report shows Georgia Tech’s state economic impact exceeds $3 billion

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The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia released its fiscal year 2016 state economic impact report August 22, 2017, revealing an overall impact of $16.8 billion.  The Georgia Institute of Technology’s state economic impact was $3.05 billion, up from $2.87 billion in fiscal year 2015.

Conducted by the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, the report revealed Georgia Tech once again led the state in economic impact. Here are the impact statistics from the top five universities in the USG:

  • Georgia Institute of Technology, $3.05 billion
  • University of Georgia, $2.71 billion
  • Georgia State University, $2.54 billion
  • Kennesaw State University, $1.408 billion
  • Augusta University, $1.403 billion

“Our University System institutions in Georgia are vital to the economies throughout our state, as calculated by the multiplier effect in the new state economic impact report,” said Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson. “In addition, Georgia Tech is honored to be a driving force behind such enterprises as innovation neighborhoods that attract business and industry; research collaborations with other institutions, industry, and government; the building and strengthening of Georgia’s STEM workforce; and commercializing new ideas and inventions.”

Listed as “output impact” in the study, the overall economic impact figure for the system and the individual institutions was calculated by adding the initial spending to the respending, or multiplier effect, for each institution in its host community.

Other findings for the system include an $11.3 billion in value added, $8.2 billion in income and $157,967 full- and part-time jobs. According to the study, the system generated 2.2 off-campus jobs for every job created at a USG institution.

For Georgia Tech, the value added was $2.14 billion, income generated was $1.64 billion, and a total of 24,213 full- and part-time jobs.

Source: http://www.news.gatech.edu/2017/08/22/usg-report-shows-georgia-techs-state-economic-impact-exceeds-3-billion

Georgia Tech to receive $13.5 million to continue support for Georgia manufacturers

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This map shows where the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) assisted Georgia manufacturing companies during 2015.
This map shows where the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) assisted Georgia manufacturing companies during 2015.

The Georgia Institute of Technology will receive $13.5 million in federal funding over the next five years to continue a program that has assisted small- and mid-sized manufacturing companies in Georgia for more than half a century. The funding will be used by the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP), which serves manufacturers through a network of 10 regional offices and more than 30 extension personnel statewide.

In fiscal 2015, the GaMEP assisted nearly 2,000 Georgia manufacturers, helping them create or save 2,149 jobs, invest $106 million in facilities, reduce operating costs by $25 million and increase sales by more than $200 million. Established in 1960, the GaMEP is a program of the Enterprise Innovation Institute, Georgia Tech’s business assistance and economic development unit.

“Manufacturing is a key component of Georgia’s economy, and this funding will allow us to continue serving the companies that provide jobs, investment and new economic activity across our state,” said Karen Fite, director of the GaMEP program. “We are proud to be part of the national Manufacturing Extension Partnership helping companies expand their top-line growth and reduce bottom-line cost. The Georgia MEP helps our state’s manufacturers grow and remain competitive in world markets.”

GaMEP offers assistance in such areas as lean and process improvement, quality management, energy management, sustainability and business growth – which includes new customer development, new market expansion and new product development. GaMEP also connects companies to resources and expertise at Georgia Tech, which is ranked among the top U.S. public universities.

The funding, announced September 1, will take the form of a five-year cooperative agreement in which federal funds will be matched by state funds and contracts with manufacturers requesting assistance with a broad range of technical, managerial and marketing issues. The federal funding is provided by the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which awarded more than $180 million to organizations in 11 states and Puerto Rico, as part of its efforts to enhance the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers.

“The MEP centers connect local manufacturers with the resources and services necessary to meet new market challenges,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. “The Department of Commerce supports these public-private partnerships that improve this sector’s global competitiveness, strengthen our economy and create jobs in communities across the nation.”

The awards will go to organizations in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Utah and Vermont. Continued funding is subject to the availability of annual appropriations and successful annual reviews.

“Every day, the MEP system demonstrates the value of strong public-private partnership,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Willie E. May. “This funding will support the continuation and expansion of important efforts in outreach, education and collaboration that provide real benefit to thousands of manufacturers annually.”

Proposals were reviewed by government and independent experts and evaluated against a number of criteria, including demonstration of a thorough understanding of market needs and how proposed service offerings would meet those needs. The reviewers also looked at the proposed business models, performance measurements and metrics, partnership potential, staff qualifications and program management, as well as financial and nonfederal cost-share plans. The new agreement reduces the centers’ cost-share burden by reducing the amount of required matching funds from nonfederal sources.

For every dollar of federal investment, MEP clients generate nearly $17 in new sales, which translates into $2.3 billion in new sales annually. And for every $1,900 of federal investment, MEP creates or retains one U.S. manufacturing job. Since 1988, MEP has worked with more than 86,000 manufacturers, leading to $96.4 billion in sales and $15.7 billion in cost savings, and it has helped create nearly 800,000 jobs.

As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.

For more information on GaMEP, please visit gamep.org.

Chris Downing picked to head Enterprise Innovation Institute

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Chris Downing, Vice President of Georgia Tech's Enterprise Innovation Institute
Chris Downing, Vice President of Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute

The Georgia Institute of Technology has named Chris Downing vice president of the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2), effective immediately.

The announcement ends a six-month national search for a new vice president, following Stephen Fleming’s decision to step down from the position in December 2015. As the Institute’s chief business outreach organization, EI2 is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive university-based program of business and industry assistance, technology commercialization, and economic development.

Downing will report directly to Stephen E. Cross, executive vice president for Research at Georgia Tech.

“I am thankful for this opportunity and I remain focused on our core mission at EI2 to fulfill Georgia Tech’s commitment to economic development,” Downing said. “Working with the dedicated professionals at EI2, we will enhance Georgia Tech’s work in designing the future through our service to entrepreneurs, business, researchers, innovators, and the people of Georgia.”

Downing had served as EI2’s associate vice president since 2012 and as interim vice president since October 2015. He has been at Georgia Tech in various leadership roles related to economic development since 1988.

“EI2, including its multiple programs that support Georgia startups, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs across the state, serves all aspects of economic development in Georgia. It is a vital component of the innovation ecosystem we have built at Tech Square,” Georgia Tech President G.P. “Bud” Peterson said. “Chris has worked diligently to support and enhance our economic development initiatives, as well as to forge and maintain strong partnerships with other organizations across the state to strengthen the Georgia economy.”

Downing, whose past posts at Georgia Tech included serving as research engineer, program manager, regional manager, and director of the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) — EI2’s largest program — has brought national recognition to the unit and several awards, including the 2014 Innovation Award in Economic Development from the Association of Public and Land Grant Institutions, the 2014 Outstanding Research Park Award from the Association of University Research Parks, and the National MEP Innovation Award in 2011 for the GaMEP.

“Chris has elevated EI2’s commitment to technology commercialization, business and industry outreach, and entrepreneurship,” Cross said. “Through his leadership, EI2’s stature and prominence in Georgia as the state’s most comprehensive economic development organization has risen. His passion and commitment to EI2’s mission has helped to make Tech Square the Southeast’s premier neighborhood for innovation and economic development and is instrumental in helping to define other innovation neighborhoods adjacent to the rest of the campus.”

About the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2)

The Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2) is the Georgia Institute of Technology’s chief business outreach and economic development organization. EI2’s core mission is to provide an exhaustive suite of programs to assist business, industry, entrepreneurs, and economic developers across Georgia. As the nation’s largest and most comprehensive university-base program of its kind, EI2 helps enterprises of all kinds and sizes and across all sectors improve their competitiveness through the application of science, technology, and innovation.

In addition to the GaMEP, EI2 houses a diverse group of programs, each focused on the needs of business and economic development.  The programs include the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC), the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Center, the Southeastern Trade Adjustment Assistance Center (SETAC), VentureLab, and a variety of other programs that provide support and assistance in the areas of commercialization, entrepreneurship and business services.

For more information, please visit innovate.gatech.edu.

Georgia ranked near bottom for public access to state expenditure info

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Georgia is given a score of “C” — based on a numerical score of 74 out of 100 — earning a ranking of 42rd among state governments for providing public access to spending information, according to a report issued by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund.  PIRG is a 501(c)(3) organization promotes good government.

Government spending transparency is improving, but many states still lag far behind, according to “Following the Money 2016: How the 50 States Rate in Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data,” the sixth annual report of its kind by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund. Some states have improved their spending transparency web portals significantly, earning perfect scores in this year’s report, while others are still barely achieving the minimum standards.

State governments spend hundreds of billions of dollars each year through contracts for goods and services, subsidies to encourage economic development, and other expenditures. Public accountability helps ensure that state funds are spent as wisely as possible.

State-operated spending transparency websites provide checkbook-level detail on government spending, allowing citizens and watchdog groups to view payments made to individual companies, the goods or services purchased, and the benefits obtained in exchange for public subsidies.

All 50 states operate websites to make information on state expenditures accessible to the public, and in the past year these web portals continued to improve. For instance, all but four states provide checkbook-level data for one or more economic development subsidy programs and more than half of states make that subsidy data available for researchers to download and analyze.

For more information on this study, see: http://uspirgedfund.org/reports/usf/following-money-2016 

To download the report, go to: http://uspirgedfund.org/sites/pirg/files/reports/USP%20FollowMoney16%20Report%20Apr16.pdf

 

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