Georgia Life Sciences Designates City of Atlanta as Newest BioReady® Community
Georgia Life Sciences Designates City of Atlanta as Newest BioReady® Community
ATLANTA – February 20, 2025- Today, Invest Atlanta announced, the city of Atlanta has been designated a BioReady Gold Community by the state’s leading life sciences membership organization, Georgia Life Sciences. To receive this distinction, communities must meet certain criteria related to zoning practices and infrastructure capacity. This distinctive honor was presented today during Invest Atlanta’s February board of directors meeting.
“We are proud to recognize the City of Atlanta as a BioReady site, as much of our life sciences ecosystem is built around the state’s capital city,” said Maria Thacker-Goethe, President and CEO of Georgia Life Sciences. “Through this program, we champion communities that have made a commitment to growing the life sciences industry, helping to distinguish the state with not only a significant presence of leading biopharma companies and startups, but also with robust funding opportunities to fuel growth, and a collaborative environment with access to resources and infrastructure.”
The BioReady rating system rates communities in three tiers from Bronze to Silver to Gold. Through these BioReady ratings, Georgia Life Sciences allows local municipalities to better showcase biotech-zoned science parks, streamline permitting, build a robust infrastructure, and identify biotech-friendly sites more effectively, making them a desirable choice for real estate developers and biotechnology companies seeking destinations to locate.
“We are thrilled to witness our city being recognized as a BioReady Gold Community, a testament to our commitment to innovation and sustainability in the life sciences,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. This acknowledgment not only highlights our readiness but also paves the way for future growth and collaboration in the bioscience sector. This designation affirms Atlanta’s readiness to support biotech companies and reinforces our position as a hub for scientific innovation.”
“According to BioSpace, the global life sciences market is valued at $13.72 billion and is projected to reach $26.63 billion by 2033,” said Dr. Eloisa Klementich, president and CEO of Invest Atlanta. Earning BioReady Gold status strengthens our efforts to attract and retain biotech and life sciences companies. With the Life Sciences workforce expected to grow 10% from 2022 to 2032, this recognition reinforces Invest Atlanta’s commitment to biotech and life sciences, giving companies confidence in our support and resources.”
For more information about this recognition visit, BioReady Communities.
About Georgia Life Sciences
Georgia Life Sciences, founded in 1989, is a non-profit, membership-based organization that promotes the interests and growth of the life sciences industry. It is the state’s largest and most influential life sciences advocacy and business leadership organization working to improve access to innovative discoveries that have lifesaving impact. The association connects business, academia, government, and other allied entities involved in the application of life sciences products to fuel growth and collaboration through policy development, community programs, national industry initiatives, and a portfolio of educational and networking events. Learn more at www.galifesciences.org.
Georgia Life Sciences has joined 43 state and regional life sciences organizations in signing a national Council of State Bioscience Associations (CSBA) letter calling on Congress to take immediate action on three bipartisan policy priorities that are essential to sustaining U.S. leadership in biomedical innovation and supporting patients nationwide. With Congress back in session and several critical programs at risk of expiring, the letter urges congressional leaders to advance the following provisions without delay: 1. Reauthorize the Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher (PPRV) Program The PPRV program has been instrumental in incentivizing the development of therapies for children with rare and life-threatening conditions. Its lapse threatens to slow or halt research that families across the country are counting on. 2. Extend the SBIR/STTR Programs The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs provide crucial early-stage capital for emerging biotech and medtech companies—many of them in Georgia. Without reauthorization, hundreds of innovative small businesses face uncertainty, jeopardizing new therapies, diagnostics, and technologies in the pipeline, 3. Advance PBM Transparency Reforms Greater transparency and accountability within pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices are needed to ensure that savings reach patients and employers. Reforming PBM operations is essential to strengthening access and affordability across the healthcare system. A Unified Message from the Life Sciences Community The sign-on letter reflects broad, bipartisan alignment across the national life sciences ecosystem: researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, patient advocates, and state associations all share a common message— these programs underpin America’s global competitiveness and are vital to patients who rely on continued scientific progress. Georgia Life Sciences has shared the letter with members of Georgia’s congressional delegation and will continue engaging with policymakers to emphasize the importance of swift action.
Georgia Life Sciences is proud to stand with patient advocates, providers, and employers across the state in urging Congress to take meaningful action on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform. We recently signed on to a joint letter to Georgia’s Congressional Delegation stressing the urgent need for transparency, fair practices, and policies that ensure savings flow directly to patients.
Georgia Life Sciences’ CEO, Maria Thacker Goethe shares her perspective on the value of Georgia’s research universities in this month’s issue of Georgia Trend. “Georgia research institutions have felt a very significant impact from the federal rollbacks, specifically in NIH and NSF funding. Thacker Goethe’s message about the impact of research cuts is simple: Disruption shatters the foundational trust researchers have in grant continuity….” To read the full article, click here .
