Georgia Tech’s successful innovation hub may expand across Georgia

Midtown’s Technology Square is a bustling innovation hub, with companies including AT&T, Chick-fil-A and The Home Depot locating there to develop a pipeline of talent and research from Georgia Tech.

Now, the institution — a catalyst for economic development across Atlanta — says it is studying how to expand the Tech Square model to other parts of the state.

The hope is to create a regional innovation hub, potentially spurred by new federal funding.

The discussion comes as Georgia sees a surge of clean energy investment, from new electric vehicle plants to solar manufacturing factories. These projects now make up the majority of the state's economic development pursuits.

“We feel like there is a very, very strong, credible case for a Southeastern cluster around clean tech manufacturing,” said Tim Lieuwen, executive director of Georgia Tech’s Strategic Energy Institute, during a dinner in Washington, D.C., Tuesday night. The event brought together clean energy and sustainability leaders, many of whom were Georgia Tech alumni, including representatives from the White House and from companies investing in Georgia such as SK Group.

“We want to see this happen,” Lieuwen said. “We want to do what we can at Georgia Tech to convene and facilitate a very strong team that is out there front and center establishing our region as the region that is manufacturing this very cutting-edge industry of the future.”

New federal funding is coming available that could accelerate the effort.

The Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs program aims to build and evolve innovation centers in key U.S. regions, says the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration. It was enacted as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Congress has already allocated $500 million to the program, but that amount could grow.

A source told Atlanta Business Chronicle it will be an “intensely competitive” process that could open this summer. A request for information process closed March 16. 

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock says he helped champion funding for regional tech hubs. According to a February announcement, Sandy Springs/Roswell, Warner Robins, Columbus and Savannah could be candidates for regional tech hubs. 

Eloisa Klementich, president and CEO of Invest Atlanta, said in a recent interview that innovation centers have been key to job growth in the city.

“I believe we have the highest concentration of corporate innovation centers, research and development technology hubs, within a five-mile radius in the nation,” she said. “I think it is driving the next phase of what the Atlanta economy is.”