GLS 2025 Year in Review

Dear Georgia Life Sciences Community,

 

As we reflect on the past year, I want to extend my sincere thanks to our Georgia Life Sciences members for making it such an impactful one. Your engagement and leadership continue to move our industry forward and advance our shared strategic priorities—driving strong policy, expanding the talent pipeline, and creating intentional spaces for collaboration across Georgia’s life sciences ecosystem.

 

Our Year in Review captures the progress we’ve made together across these priorities and highlights the collective impact our members are having statewide—from strengthening the workforce and supporting manufacturing growth to elevating Georgia’s position as a national life sciences leader. This progress is only possible because of the collaboration, commitment, and insight of our member community.

View the 2025 Year in Review

To those who are not yet members, we invite you to explore our Year in Review and see how Georgia Life Sciences is convening leaders, advocating for the industry, and creating meaningful opportunities to engage. We welcome you to join this growing community and be part of shaping the future of life sciences in Georgia.

 

Thank you to our members, partners, and supporters for a remarkable year. We wish you a joyful holiday season and a healthy, successful year ahead.

 

With gratitude,

Maria Thacker Goethe
CEO, Georgia Life Sciences



As we close out the year, please note that the Georgia Life Sciences offices will be closed for a holiday break December 23 through January 5, 2026, to allow our team to spend time with family and friends.


Our BioBeat newsletter will resume January 9. We wish you a joyful holiday season and a healthy, successful year ahead—and look forward to continuing this important work together in 2026.

Georgia Life Science's Feature in Very First Atlanta Edition of Inside Medicine

March 24, 2026
Georgia Life Sciences is thrilled to be featured in the very first Atlanta edition of Inside Medicine . This inaugural issue represents something truly special. Atlanta’s healthcare and life sciences community is driven by innovation, collaboration, and outstanding leadership—and we’re honored to be part of this exciting launch. Also in the issue, GLS's Kennedy Dumas is featured, sharing her journey on how observation and research evolved into a powerful practice of journaling. As the founder of Stationery Black, she creates notebooks designed to showcase, uplift, and inspire people of color. Read the full article here.

UCB Sticks With Georgia, Placing $2 Billion Bet on State’s Life Sciences Ecosystem

March 24, 2026
B y Trevor Williams , March 24, 2026 | Global Atlanta More than 60 Belgian firms have found a home in Georgia, but nothing on this scale has yet been seen in the state. The amalgam of Belgian investment, carried out over a half-century, translates to about 5,000 current jobs. Gwinnett offered $174 million in incentives to win the project, including property tax abatements, fee waivers and utility improvements, according to Rowen. UCB is set to bring in artificial intelligence, advanced robotics and automation at the site. Biologics are therapies made from living organisms, promising cutting-edge research and manufacturing. Maria Thacker Goethe , president and CEO of Georgia Life Sciences , said the move gives state leaders even more impetus to work collaboratively to build Georgia’s talent pipeline “across every stage — from high school exposure and technical credentials to community college, university, and incumbent-worker upskilling.” “UCB’s decision underscores the strength of Georgia’s talent base, manufacturing capacity, and collaborative business climate, and it reflects the kind of long-term investment that helps build a more resilient U.S. biomanufacturing footprint,” Ms. Goethe told Global Atlanta in an email. Nine of the 16 FDA approvals for UCB drugs and therapies have come within the last three years, showing its prioritization of the U.S. market, where headcount has grown 73 percent since 2017 to 2,000 people. UCB’s products treat severe neurological and immunological conditions like epilepsy, lupus, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and many more. Read the full article here: UCB Sticks With Georgia, Placing $2 Billion Bet on State’s Life Sciences Ecosystem - Global Atlanta

Georgia General Assembly Establishes Life Sciences Caucus to Advance Innovation and Industry Growth

March 17, 2026
Georgia Life Sciences leads effort to establish bipartisan caucus focused on advancing the state’s growing life sciences economy
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