Since the invention of Coca-Cola in 1886, Atlanta has been home to some of the country’s most prized and important innovations.  The innovations produced in Atlanta affect people’s lives on a daily basis, from the development of a potential new HIV vaccine to the creation of a more user-friendly manner of accessing the Internet.  Atlanta ranks as the 4th largest research center in the US, with over $731 million in higher education research expenditures, according to the Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education.  In the 1990s, the Atlanta area ranked in the top 25 of patent grants issued.  Over 1,000 patents were issued in 1999 alone thanks in part to the wealth of engineering and medical knowledge in Atlanta.  For example, Georgia Tech’s Industrial System’s and Engineering Department has been ranked #1 in the world for the past 15 years in a row. 

Institutions throughout the City of Atlanta have made a commitment to developing new technology companies in an effort to promote economic development.  High tech incubators in Atlanta include the Advanced Technology Department Center (ATDC) at Georgia Tech.  ATDC companies have generated $9.3 billion in revenue since 1987 and 75% of the companies started since 1995 are still in business or have been acquired.  CollabTech Biotechnology Development Center at Georgia State currently houses five companies and provides laboratory space to companies focusing on biological and chemical applications.  As a partnership between Emory and Georgia Tech, Emtech Bio hopes to enhance the marketability of products developed there by partnering companies with students from the Goizueta Business School at Emory. 

The City of Atlanta wants smart people because they: