The Middle Georgia Innovation Corridor Is the Heartbeat of Warner Robins

Courtesy of the Middle Georgia Innovation Corridor

The Middle Georgia Innovation Corridor encompasses 11 counties in the heart of Georgia, where a unique initiative has created a thriving and dynamic network connecting the technological, scientific and digital landscapes. Centered around Robins Air Force Base, the project links industry, research facilities, educational institutions, the labor force and surrounding local communities. 

Robins Air Force Base is the region’s largest industrial complex and its largest employer. Area leaders wanted to find a way to utilize its presence to diversify the local economy. The concept of making the heart of Georgia a hub for Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing began with an initiative from the Department of Defense that became a multi-phase project. The current phase began with a $65 million grant to Georgia Institute of Technology from the Economic Development Administration as part of the post-pandemic Build Back Better program to help facilitate the use of artificial intelligence in manufacturing.

“Robins Air Force Base, as a Software Center of Excellence, is the catalyst that has created this notion that we are a corridor and has been the gravitational pull for the other assets we tout throughout the region,” says Angie Gheesling, executive director of the Development Authority of Houston County. 

Courtesy of the Middle Georgia Innovation Corridor

Leveraging the area’s regional assets is driving economic growth and creating high-tech opportunities. One key advantage is the area’s convenient location near the major transportation arteries Interstate 16 and Interstate 75 with easy access to Atlanta’s international airport and the Port of Savannah. The Robins Region boasts an affordable cost of living with a high quality of life that attracts both businesses and families. There is a strong network of educational options that includes both universities and technical colleges that offer advanced research opportunities and collaborate to turn out a skilled STEM workforce. 

“An untold story is often no different than a story that never existed at all. The Middle Georgia Innovation Corridor is proof that innovation, collaboration, and vision are thriving in the heart of our state,” says Dr. Joe Richardson. “Thanks to the partnerships formed throughout our region, we are not only building technology and opportunity – we are building a story worthy of being told around the world.” 

As a whole, the project is proactively developing the advanced manufacturing, defense technology, cybersecurity, aviation and precision agriculture sectors with an emphasis on AI and robotics to diversify the region’s economy and education offerings.

The Middle Georgia Innovation Corridor has created strong alliances between local businesses, educational institutions and Robins Air Force Base to share technological advancements and resources. These partnerships are thanks to initiatives like the Georgia Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing (Georgia AIM) program, a $65 million federal grant made to bolster the region and make it a hub. Collaborations between the Development Authority of Houston County, 21st Century Partnership, Middle Georgia STEM Alliance, Middle Georgia Regional Commission, Middle Georgia Economic Alliance, and area colleges and universities are in place starting at a young age to encourage people who want to work in STEM that career opportunities and a high quality of living are right in Middle Georgia – graduates don’t have to go to Atlanta or Silicon Valley to pursue their goals and dreams.

Steven Sobel

The Middle Georgia Innovation Corridor provides funding for two mobile STEM labs from MIT to Fort Valley State University, one of which is a traditional STEM lab and the other which is focused on agriculture, the top industry in the state. The Middle Georgia Innovation Corridor works with the Middle Georgia STEM Alliance and the 21st Century Partnership to support robotics boot camps and competitions throughout the region for ages kindergarten through high school. They’ve also awarded over $100,000 in scholarships to Middle Georgia students majoring in STEM fields and attending local technical colleges and universities. They also promote small business development.

The Georgia Veterans Education Career Transition Resource (VECTR) Center offers vocational school programs, accelerated programs and entrepreneurial support to veterans, spouses and adult family members who are entering Georgia’s public postsecondary educational systems and workforce. The Project Synergy program offers internships to high school students who go on to declare a STEM major in college that tracks them directly into jobs at Robins Air Force Base. 

“Within VECTR, they opened an AI robotics lab that focuses on connecting AI and manufacturing, because that is the future,” Gheesling says. “What occurred through this joint effort regionally and the VECTR lab has really formalized the innovation corridor.” 

For more information, visit middlegeorgiainnovates.com.