Life Sciences

Shriners Children’s to Establish Research Institute at Science Square

admin — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 12:58:49 +0000

Shriners Children’s to Establish Research Institute at Science Square admin Thu, 07/03/2025 - 08:58

Gov. Brian P. Kemp has announced a new world-renowned tenant for Science Square, signaling Georgia Tech's role in Atlanta and Georgia's expanding life sciences sector. According to the governor’s office, Shriners Children’s will establish a new pediatric medical research facility at Science Square, investing more than $153 million into the facility and creating 470 new jobs. The move by this nonprofit healthcare system, which has locations across North America and a global reach, shows the continued momentum in the region for this important area of research and development.

The Shriners Children’s Research Institute will be in Science Square Labs, positioned across from Georgia Tech’s North Avenue Research Area. The institute will serve as a multidisciplinary innovation hub focused on advancing healthcare for children. Areas of research will include cell and gene therapies, robotics, artificial intelligence, medical devices, biologics, and data informatics.

"Georgia Tech is excited to welcome Shriners Children’s to Science Square,” said Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera. “We developed Science Square to create a leading hub for life sciences research and innovation, and Shriners’ decision to be here will accelerate our progress to drive medical innovation, create high-impact jobs, and greatly strengthen Atlanta's thriving innovation ecosystem.”

Georgia Tech’s proximity and research strengths were key factors in the decision to locate the institute in Atlanta. The collaboration is expected to enhance the region’s growing reputation in life sciences and advanced research. Projected to be the largest tenant of Science Square, Shriners Children's would put the facility at 82% occupancy.

Shriners Children’s, founded in 1922 by members of the Shriners International fraternity, focuses on orthopedic and neuromuscular conditions, burn injuries, spinal cord injury rehabilitation, and cleft lip and palate. The organization also maintains a strong commitment to education and research. In 2024, Shriners Children’s served patients from all 50 U.S. states, every Canadian province, and 128 countries.

This news comes after Tech’s recent announcement regarding the move-in of about seven biomedical research labs into Science Square.

Science Square, a mixed-use development adjacent to Georgia Tech’s Midtown campus, continues to attract leading organizations in healthcare, technology, and research. The addition of Shriners Children’s further establishes the district as a hub for global innovation and community impact.

Subtitle

Governor’s office touts move that will create 470 new jobs.

Summary sentence

Shriners Children’s will open a $153 million pediatric medical research facility at Science Square, becoming the largest tenant in the development and contributing to Georgia Tech’s growing role in Atlanta’s life sciences sector.

Summary

Shriners Children’s will establish a new pediatric medical research facility at Science Square in Atlanta, investing more than $153 million into the project. Located across from Georgia Tech’s North Avenue Research Area, the facility will collaborate with Georgia Tech researchers and focus on advancing care in areas such as orthopedic and neuromuscular conditions, burn injuries, spinal cord injury rehabilitation, and cleft lip and palate.

Dateline

Thu, 07/03/2025 - 12:00

media@gatech.edu

Contact

Siobhan Rodriguez
Senior Media Relations Representative
Institute Communications

Keywords

Shriners Children’s

Georgia Tech

science square

pediatric research

medical research facility

atlanta

orthopedic conditions

neuromuscular conditions

spinal cord injury

burn injuries

cleft lip and palate

Biomedical Engineering

artificial intelligence

robotics

Gene Therapy

Medical Devices

biologics

data informatics

research collaboration

Life Sciences

healthcare innovation

research institute

North Avenue Research Area

investment

nonprofit healthcare

go-researchnews

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Campus and Community

Health and Medicine

Nakia Melecio to Lead Innovation Lab Effort at Enterprise Innovation Institute

admin — Wed, 29 May 2024 17:27:41 +0000

Nakia Melecio to Lead Innovation Lab Effort at Enterprise Innovation Institute admin Wed, 05/29/2024 - 13:27

Melecio, who has also served as the deep tech catalyst in the Enterprise Innovation Institute’s ATDC startup incubator, will lead Innovation Lab, which encompasses new business development efforts in life sciences and biosciences. The Innovation Lab initiative centers on three core activities:

Grow healthcare research, innovation, and workforce development practice.
Expand EI2 Global's international footprint.
Support VentureLab's National Science Foundation I-Corps activities.

“Nakia has been instrumental in helping to expand Georgia’s life sciences community and ecosystem,” said David Bridges, vice president of the Enterprise Innovation Institute, Georgia Tech’s chief economic development arm. “Leading Innovation Lab already builds on a foundation he created since joining us in 2019 and further supports our broad economic development mission.”

He's already leading in the healthcare research practice expansion with his work in the MedTech Center and running the ScaleUp Lab Program for deep tech innovation.

Under Melecio’s leadership as founding director, the MedTech Center, which has the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership and Global Center for Medical Innovation as partners, has worked with and evaluated the innovations of more than 200 companies. Since launching in 2021, the MedTech Center’s 66 active startups have raised $13.1 million in investment capital and an additional $6.4 million in federal, non-dilutive funding grants.

In 2023, the MedTech Center was selected to join the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health’s ARPA-H Investor Catalyst Hub to accelerate the commercialization of practical, accessible biomedical solutions.

He is supporting Georgia Tech’s efforts to collaborate with Atlanta University Center schools — Spelman College, Clark-Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and the Morehouse School of Medicine — to collaborate with those minority-serving institutions as they build out capacity for their scientists and researchers to create more life sciences technology companies, following an award from the Economic Development Administration.

Similarly, Melecio is working with the University of Alabama at Birmingham on a collaborative project in biologics and medical devices to move more of its researchers’ innovations out of the lab and into commercial markets.

As Innovation Lab lead, Melecio, who has secured more than $5.76 million in federal grants and awards to Georgia Tech, will also work to develop biomanufacturing partnerships for Georgia Tech.

With EI2 Global, the Enterprise Innovation Institute’s program that fosters economic opportunity through collaborations with universities, innovators, governments, and nonprofit organizations worldwide, Melecio will serve as an instructor on Lab-to-Market and CREATE-X programming for entrepreneurs. He will also create and provide educational content for EI2 Global’s university and ecosystem partners.

Closer to home, his Innovation Lab work includes ongoing projects as a principal in VentureLab, a program of Georgia Tech’s Office of Commercialization. In that capacity, he will work on VentureLab’s National Science Foundation-related Innovation Corps (I-Corps) programming. Those efforts, overseen by Commercialization Vice President Raghupathy "Siva" Sivakumar, include the NSF I-Corps Hub Academy, where Melecio will serve as director.

“Our efforts with Innovation Lab are centered around finding new opportunities, new markets, and new industries by leveraging our areas of expertise at the Enterprise Innovation Institute and Georgia Tech to build economic development capacity in the life sciences and biosciences space,” Melecio said.

“We’re looking to take a broader perspective, away from being hyper-focused in one or two niche areas in life sciences, to ensure that we maximize opportunities to support new ideas, build stronger practice areas in this space, and secure funding to bring those innovations to scale.”

Summary sentence

Melecio will focus on economic development for life sciences and biosciences.

Summary

Nakia Melecio, senior extension professional and director of the Center for MedTech Excellence at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, will lead a new effort focused on economic development support for life sciences companies and bioscience commercialization and ecosystem building.

Dateline

Wed, 05/29/2024 - 12:00

peralte@gatech.edu

Contact

Péralte C. Paul
peralte@gatech.edu
404.316.1210

Associated importer

Keywords

biosciences

Life Sciences

economic development

Innovation Lab

go-researchnews

Nakia Melecio

Enterprise Innovation Institute

commercialization

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Business and Economic Development

Life Sciences

Shriners Children’s to Establish Research Institute at Science Square

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