James Nov-Dec 2023 web - Flipbook - Page 70
JAMES And the substrate was invented here?
RATCLIFFE One by listening to
them, the other by watching them.
A company called AudioT was
RATCLIFFE GRA helped Georgia Tech
launched out of Georgia Tech and
recruit GRA Eminent Scholar Rao
uses artificial intelligence to analyze
Tummala from IBM. He started the
the sounds chickens make. These
world-class center and it attracted
sounds are clues to their well-being.
more than $100 million in investment And a project at the University of
from industry. Over time, Rao and
Georgia is doing something similar
his colleagues engineered the glass
with video. Interestingly, GRA is
substrate that will be manufactured
helping both of these teams explore
in Conyers.
how combining their technologies
would create a solution unlike anyJAMES Does GRA help the universithing in the marketplace.
ties work directly with companies on
their own R&D?
JAMES Universities and companies
are very different worlds. How does
RATCLIFFE Not as a pure broker, but
GRA bridge these cultures?
GRA’s work does have great relevance to Georgia’s top industries. The RATCLIFFE You’re right, and it takes
poultry industry is a good example.
knowing both of these worlds well.
Georgia is no. 1 in the U.S. in produc- Scientists want their work to benefit
ing broiler chickens. Two of our start- people, but they’re not always the
ups have technologies that promote
best business people. GRA’s venthe health of these chickens.
ture development program provides
seed grants at a crucial early stage.
JAMES How do they do that?
But just as important, we provide
counsel to help scientists move their
inventions from the lab to the world.
Right now, we’ve got 240 startups,
and 90 percent are still in business
after four years, which is twice the
national average.
JAMES As you pass the gavel as
chairman, what stands out the most
for you about GRA?
RATCLIFFE It’s the cumulative impact. In the last 32 years, the state
of Georgia has wisely invested
$700 million in GRA’s programs.
On that, we’ve generated a return
of more than $13 billion. That’s $19
for every state dollar. Our state now
ranks no. 8 in the U.S. in university
R&D, a huge climb in just a few
years, and GRA’s 70-plus scientists
have a lot to do with that. When
you add it all up, the state’s investment in GRA is what I call a
no-brainer. There just isn’t a better
deal in Georgia than GRA.
Celebrating 20 Years of Community Improvements
True North 400, formerly the North Fulton Community Improvement District (NFCID), is a self-taxing
commercial district committed to improving infrastructure and developing efficient transportation services with
an emphasis on access, mobility, diversification and modernization throughout the North Fulton community.
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