Georgia High Tech Industry Empowers Innovation

Industry Leaders Outline Successes in Georgia G8 Summit Panel Discussion 

SAVANNAH , GA – Leaders from Georgia 's high tech industry met today at the G8 Summit International Media Center for a panel discussion focused on the state's research and development institutions, organizations, and infrastructure that have made the state a leader in technology innovation.

Participants included Dr. Wayne Clough, president of the Georgia Institute of Technology; Brian Martin, president and CEO of Nanoventions; Tom Noonan, president and CEO of Internet Security Systems Inc.; and Joanne Walter, president and CEO of WalterPan LLC.

“ Georgia 's technology industry is founded on a rich supply of world-class talent and strong public-private partnerships,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “The result has been groundbreaking research and development that has yielded technologies that have changed the way people live, work, and play.”

Georgia has emerged as a leading center for the development and commercialization of new technologies and is a hub for broadband, telecommunications, and other science and technology industries. The state also leads the nation in the creation of high tech jobs, with a 54 percent growth rate in that sector. Just as impressive, Georgia 's high technology employment base is now 10th largest in the nation, according to the American Electronics Association (AeA).

Georgia's public-private partnership model brings together the state's academic institutions – including the Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Georgia, Emory University, Medical College of Georgia, and the Morehouse School of Medicine – and private industry to develop cutting-edge technologies in the areas of broadband communications, maritime logistics and security, aerospace engineering, and biotechnology.

“By encouraging innovation and creating partnerships among the state's companies, universities and researchers, Georgia has created a thriving technology industry that creates jobs, opportunities, and prosperity throughout the state,” said Governor Perdue.

**Audio of the briefing will be available at http://www.georgia.org/G8/news/multimedia.html.