Johns Creek Named First “BioReady Community” in Georgia

Mainstage at the GA Life Sciences Summit

As the life sciences sector in Georgia continues to grow at a rapid pace, the need for bioready sites grows. As just the second state in the country to formally adopt such a program, the BioReady Community program will allow Georgia’s municipalities to showcase biotech-zoned science parks, streamline permitting, build a robust infrastructure, and identify biotech-friendly sites more effectively in the interest of attracting companies interested in relocating. 

After lunch Maria announced that the City of Johns Creek is the first municipality in the state to achieve this designation.

Mainstage at the GA Life Sciences Summit

Johns Creek Mayor John Bradbury said, “We need to challenge each other. We can push the ball forward at a grassroots level .… And hopefully that’s going to mean a bigger ecosystem for this industry in our state.”

Given the industry’s large footprint in Georgia including 78,000 direct jobs across 4,000 establishments, nearly 215,000 total jobs and over $50 billion in economic impact, Georgia cities and towns are increasingly adopting local policies that greatly ease the pathway for renovation or new construction of biotech laboratory and manufacturing facilities.

Georgia Bio’s counterpart in Massachusetts, MassBio , has developed a rating system to determine a municipality’s readiness to host biotechnology facilities based on the community’s zoning practices and infrastructure capacity. BioReady® rates these communities in three tiers from Bronze to Gold. Through these BioReady® ratings, Georgia Bio seeks to provide cities and towns a platform to effectively tell their stories to the biotechnology industry that will ultimately help real estate developers and biotechnology companies find the most favorable destinations to locate.

AtlantaInno and Atlanta Business Chronicle Reporter Rebecca Grapevine noted , “Earlier this year, Johns Creek tallied a win when Boston Scientific Corp. (NYSE: BSX) committed to a nearly quarter-million-square-foot lease at the former State Farm campus. The expansion could bring up to 340 jobs, the company said.” [Note: subscription required.]

Click Here to View the Georgia BioReady Page & Learn How to Apply

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Below are Links to the John’s Creek Announcements

Mainstage at the GA Life Sciences Summit
December 10, 2025
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.
December 7, 2025
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.
December 4, 2025
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 .
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