Georgia Tech expands research partnerships with minority-serving institutions

November 15th, 2023

George White, a principal research engineer and the senior director for Strategic Partnerships at Georgia Tech, and Taiesha Smith, the senior program manager for HBCUs and minority-serving institutions Research Partnerships at Georgia Tech, discuss the goals of the Research Collaboration Initiative. (Courtesy of Georgia Tech)

With the goal of building a diverse workforce in science and technology, Georgia Tech is working to establish new research partnerships with minority-serving institutions, including historically Black colleges and universities.

The new effort is called the Research Collaboration Initiative.

Earlier this month, Georgia Tech held the Research Collaboration Forum to foster conversations about research funding, the challenges in select areas of research, and possible solutions. The forum brought together researchers, representatives from HBCUs and minority-serving institutions, government officials, and technology companies such as Microsoft.

On Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look,” George White, a principal research engineer and the senior director for Strategic Partnerships at Georgia Tech, and Taiesha Smith, the senior program manager for HBCUs and minority-serving institutions Research Partnerships at Georgia Tech, talked with show host Rose Scott about some of the key takeaways from the forum, the goals of the Research Collaboration Initiative, and some of the specific obstacles that HBCUs face when trying to obtain funding for research.