Georgia Institute of Technology
EN-10: Community Partnerships

Partnership for Inclusive Innovation (PII) is a public-private partnership created to lead coordinated, statewide efforts to position Georgia as the technology capital of the East Coast. Launched in February 2020 by Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, the Georgia Innovates Taskforce developed a statewide plan to engage Georgia's existing innovation clusters while also creating new opportunities for equitable inclusion and technology acceleration. Inclusive innovation is defined as improving access and opportunities for all Georgians. The key focus of the partnership is to ensure government supports a wide-ranging group of stakeholders in the state’s innovation ecosystem — including startups, small businesses, the private sector and health care. The organization’s focus will center on “foundational, transformational, and sustaining” work throughout the state of Georgia that is guided by principles of connectedness, talent, diversity, sustainability, and identity. Inclusive innovation breaks down existing silos and creates an opportunity for people across the innovation ecosystem to thrive together. Pilot programs will focus on providing access to digital resources and education; advancing agriculture, food system innovation, venture capital growth, and lab-to-market tech transfer; and ensuring resources, access, and opportunities are sustained via public-private partnerships.

PII is committed to expanding access to innovation and opportunity so all Georgians can reach their full potential. To achieve sustainable, inclusive innovation, Georgia must leverage resources in entrepreneurship and technology with a focus on underserved communities. A commitment to enhanced connectivity, talent retention and development, and access to capital will set us on a path of prosperity for all.

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/bae99d8e3be14e0b977f2c8b93a5291b

https://innovate.gatech.edu/category/partnership-for-inclusive-innovation/

https://news.gatech.edu/2020/08/17/georgia-tech-lead-technology-coalition-advance-inclusive-innovation-across-state

Since 2016, Georgia Tech’s Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) has partnered with the Atlanta Public Schools’ MR Hollis Innovation Academy to support a unique STEAM teaching/learning experience for students and teachers. CEISMC aims to strengthen the connection between Georgia Tech and its surrounding community. The goal of this partnership is for CEISMC to support the development and implementation of a high-quality STEAM curriculum at Hollis Innovation Academy through direct involvement in the school, utilizing the varied resources available to a leading technical research university. The success of the partnership will demonstrate the powerful potential of university engagement in K-12 schools.

The program is a summer bridge program with grade school students from 4th to 5th grades throughout middle school matriculation. The program supports summer programming, curriculum development, and professional development for the teachers. The program shores up academic programming that teachers can deliver and supports student learning in a college environment. Every summer, 60 middle school kids come to campus for 3 weeks and do several STEAM and social learning activities Monday - Friday. Quantifiable data will support the program to understand students' progress and learning around STEAM.

The partnership is also directly supported by the Westside Futures Fund to provide this advanced program to the historically under-served community in Atlanta and the neighboring district to the Georgia Tech campus. The Westside Future Fund was launched in recognition of the long-term inequity in Atlanta’s Historic Westside, committed to fostering long-term transformational change through a collaborative approach. The Partnership with Georgia Tech allows kids who normally wouldn’t have exposure to these academic enrichment programs the opportunity to develop STEAM skills at no cost to their families.


https://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/community/hollis/ar2017

https://ceismc.gatech.edu/community/hollis

A combination of design, technology, research, and entrepreneurship, Flourishing Communities Collaborative (FC2) is a replicable curricular model that builds relationships between students, faculty, practitioners, and the community in applied design thinking and problem solving for under-served communities.  

Flourishing Communities Collaborative (FC2) empowers the community with tools aimed at investment of local expertise, amplifying impact for underserved community members, and offering a framework for smart, sustainable development. FC2 is committed to advancing public interest to support, specifically, members of society who have been historically excluded from such benefits. By offering experiential learning opportunities through coursework with the support of dedicated and committed community partners, FC2 has built and sustained partnerships with nonprofit and affinity group partners. FC2 sharpens the real-world application of Public Interest Technology to center community voice in pursuit of solutions for pressing problems, particularly challenges experienced by marginalized communities least well served by existing systems and policies.  

FC2 integrates student involvement in real projects; community outreach; service to disadvantaged communities; multidisciplinary involvement focused on collaboration; and sustainability in design and construction. Since 2017, over 140 students have been impacted with direct involvement with FC2. 

https://fc2.design.gatech.edu/

“All the partnerships mentioned are weaved into Georgia Tech’s Anchor Institution Strategy (AIS). The AIS engages with communities and organizations near campus and abroad to advance social and economic mobility by advancing the public interest through partnerships for education, knowledge production, community engagement, economic development, and strategic management of our operations and physical spaces. Georgia Tech commits to advancing the public interest in research, education, and operations by investing in sustainable development, inclusive entrepreneurship, social innovation, and economic opportunity to support and strengthen new and existing community partnerships and initiatives. To guarantee the success of the Anchor Institution’s mission, an Anchor Institution Coordinating Council (AICC) meets bi-monthly to ensure the successful implementation of the Anchor Institution's goals and projects.”

https://serve-learn-sustain.gatech.edu/georgia-techs-future-anchor-atlanta

https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVMPLKAPA=/

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=abb38fbef8ae46048805208939c84b1a