Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg today (June 21) will visit UC Davis Chancellor-Designate Gary S. May and Atlanta’s Technology Square (Tech Square), an innovation hub that is part of the Georgia Tech campus. Steinberg will be accompanied by a delegation of leaders from the Sacramento region as well as UC Davis staff. The group expects to learn more about how Tech Square has become a successful model for collaboration between higher education and private companies and to determine whether it can be adapted in the Sacramento region.

“I’m excited to work with UC Davis and Sacramento leaders to establish partnerships that will drive economic and workforce development, grow investment, and spur our thriving innovation ecosystem,” said Steinberg. “Exploring models like Atlanta’s Tech Square will help to more fully inform how our city can serve as a partner in promoting greater regional collaboration so we can continue to compete globally.”

Tech Square is located in midtown Atlanta and is described by Georgia Tech as a 1.4 million-square-foot, bike-friendly, urban mixed-use development encompassing education, research, hospitality, office, retail and residential areas. Georgia Tech promotes Tech Square as a destination for startup firms, incubators, established technology firms, major corporate offices, corporate innovation centers, venture capital investors and business service providers.

“I’m honored to host Mayor Steinberg during his visit to Technology Square, which is a model for how UC Davis and other universities can partner with the city to grow the region in positive ways,” said May, who is wrapping up 26 years at Georgia Tech, most recently as dean of engineering. “One strong benefit of a technology hub like this is that it provides companies with access to students and faculty for employment and research opportunities. It breeds entrepreneurs.”

With about 15 companies that run innovation labs, Tech Square includes companies such as AT&T, Panasonic, Delta Air Lines, Home Depot and more. Georgia Tech established the area in the 1990s in order to expand its campus. The area became a focus for students and entrepreneurs to collaborate and test ideas to bring to the marketplace. In May 2017, Atlanta was named one of the top 10 cities for corporate innovation by Innovation Leader.

In 2016, UC Davis received $786 million in extramural funding for research, recorded 229 records of invention, submitted 210 patent applications and enabled the creation of 13 new startups licensing university technology. Last July, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities designated UC Davis as an Innovation and Economic Prosperity (IEP) University.