About GRA

The Georgia Research Alliance drives more impact out of university research and entrepreneurship to benefit our state and the world. Our work grows the Georgia economy, helps prepare a high-tech workforce and improves the lives of Georgians.

How We Work

The GRA Model generates ROI throughout the research and entrepreneurship process.

Georgia provides GRA with state dollars to invest wisely.
GRA recruits "star talent" researchers to universities and provides them with high-tech tools (which they share).
The researchers attract big grants (public and private).
Those research grants fund workforce training in labs; money is returned to the tax digest. Inventions follow!
Researchers then launch companies around their inventions. GRA provides seed investment and advice.
Those startups attract big venture capital investment (which creates more workforce opportunities).
The launch and growth of companies returns more money to Georgia's state and local tax digest.

GRA's Impact: 2025 Metrics

All told, GRA generated over $1.4 billion ROI for Fiscal Year 2025, two-thirds of which came from R&D expenditures from GRA's Academy of Scholars.

$1B+Outside public-private funding Non-state dollars awarded to Eminent Scholar research

$1 of every $4In research grants and contracts to Georgia universities Goes to a GRA Eminent Scholar

3,428New workforce opportunities Added training in labs and startup companies

$335MRevenue and outside funding For GRA-backed startups

87%GRA-backed startups still in business After four years (national average 44%)

Our Story

As for our beginnings, the story starts with a missed opportunity. In 1983, the State of Georgia failed to win a headquarters bid for a large industry consortium seeking a place to develop the next generation of semiconductor technology. The consortium landed in Austin, Texas, where it jump-started the city's fledgling tech industry. The critical factor in Austin's win was a public-private partnership that combined government resources with private-sector energy and creativity.

Georgia took the lesson. In 1990, a group of Georgia leaders established the nonprofit Georgia Research Alliance to help business, research universities and state government collaborate to build a technology-driven economy fueled by breakthrough university research. The plan: attract some of the world's most brilliant scientists to Georgia's research universities, focused on areas with the most potential for generating new companies and creating new science and technology jobs.

That cadre of scientists, named GRA Eminent Scholars, would compete successfully for a larger share of federal and foundation research funds, attract other talented scientists and graduate students to Georgia, and foster new companies to commercialize technologies developed through research.

GRA Today

Today, GRA is an internationally acclaimed model for unifying business, research universities and state government to create and sustain a vibrant, technology-rich economy for the state.

GRA is a nonprofit (501c3), public-private partnership that works with both the University System of Georgia and Georgia's Department of Economic Development. We are also proud to be an affiliate of the Georgia Chamber, working to promote a healthy business environment in our state.

Note: GRA does not provide indirect funding for talent, equipment, and grants awarded to the universities.

Our Partner Universities

Georgia's public and private universities collaborate in extraordinary ways because of GRA. Whether sharing equipment or partnering on big research projects, presidents of each university sit on GRA's board alongside prominent leaders in government and industry.

Our Supporters

GRA's operations are 100% funded through gifts and grants from companies, foundations and individuals. We're especially grateful for the steadfast support of these organizations. Without them, there would be no GRA.