This i smy project: 







Proposal To:
Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport


Proposal for:
Airports and Economic Development Training Program
CIFAL Atlanta


Proposed by:
Enterprise Innovation Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology
UNITAR





October 23, 2023





Georgia Institute of Technology
Enterprise Innovation Institute
75 Fifth St N.W., Suite 3000, Atlanta, GA 30308


 


Contents
I.	About the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Enterprise Innovation Institute	2
i.	Background	2
II.	Program Objectives and Description	3
III.	Program Dates	3
i. Monitoring, evaluation and reporting	4
ii. Roles and Responsibilities	4
IV.	Target Audiences	4
V.	Key Benefits	5
VI. Budget	5
VIII. Contact Information	6
David Bridges	7
Juli Golemi	7
Lynne Henkiel	8
Viviana Montenegro	8

 
I.	Executive Summary
The Airports and Economic Development Training Program is a collaborative initiative created to address the critical role airports play in regional and global economic developments. Formed by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Atlanta (CIFAL Atlanta), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (HJAIA), Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2), and Airports Council International (ACI), the program aims to empower aviation sector stakeholders with the tools and knowledge to leverage airport infrastructure for long-term economic growth.  
Airports are pivotal economic engines that influence regional development and global connectivity. However, there is often an underutilization of airport resources and infrastructure leading to missed opportunities for economic development. The goal is to bridge this gap by providing airport executives, civil aviation authorities, business leaders, and economic development officials with cutting-edge strategies to fully take advantage of airport potentials.  
Our research underscores the significant economic impact airports can have on their surrounding regions. For example, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has a direct economic impact of over $32.5 billion on the metropolitan Atlanta region and a total economic impact of $68.3 billion on the State of Georgia. The program addresses key areas such as airport competitiveness, cargo logistics, non-aeronautical revenue strategies, safety management systems, and environmental sustainability, among others. These areas are pivotal in maximizing the airports’ contributions to economic development.  
The program will deliver four intensive two-day training workshops between November 2023 and December 2024, located in Africa, North America, Asia, and Latin America. These workshops will cover topics relevant to airport operations and economic development through interactive discussions and group assignments. Participants will gain practical knowledge and skills, enabling them to act as change agents in their respective domains. The continuous monitoring and evaluation, led by UNITAR, will ensure the program’s efficacy and long-term impact. With global participation and support from prestigious organizations, this initiative sets the stage for airports to become catalysts of economic development worldwide.
II.	About the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Enterprise Innovation Institute 

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is one of the leading research universities in the United States, a university that embraces change while continually Creating the Next. It is a collaborative, creative, and nimble organization of high-performing individuals focused on solving the grand challenges of our time. Besides being an innovative intellectual environment with more than 1,700 academic staff and more than 35,000 undergraduate and graduate students in six major colleges, Georgia Tech is a national and international leader in scientific and technological research and education with over $1 billion annually in research awards. The institution now ranks in the top five in research expenditures among universities without a medical school. Year after year, it is consistently the only technological university ranked in U.S. News & World Report's listing of America's top twelve public universities (ranked seventh at the present time). Furthermore, Georgia Tech's College of Engineering is consistently ranked in the nation's top five by U.S. News and World Report. In addition, it is home to one of the best urban research parks in the world which is known as Tech Square. From Tech Square, the university launches 100 plus faculty and student startups every year. Finally, Georgia Tech is an international university with locations in Panama, France, and China.

The Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2) is Georgia Tech’s economic development and business outreach organization. It is GA Tech’s primary vehicle for economic impact at all levels: locally, regionally, and globally. With over a dozen programs and close to two hundred employees, EI2 is the largest and most comprehensive university-based program of business and industry assistance, technology commercialization, and innovation-led economic development in the United States. EI2 is unique because it brings many areas of expertise into a single organization and connects its clients to multiple programs or services to meet their individual needs. 

EI2 serves industry, startups, communities, higher education institutions, governments, and the public sector to improve competitiveness, turn ideas into viable businesses, and make a positive impact on the economy. In addition, EI2 provides connections to Georgia Tech’s vast resources, including world-class research, state-of-the-art facilities, internationally recognized experts, and upper-echelon students. EI2 is home to the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) which is one of the oldest (40 years old) and top-ranked incubators in the world which serves over 800 entrepreneurs and 125 companies per year. 
Finally, in the last 12 years, EI2 has provide economic development and capacity building support to governments, universities, and non-profits on five continents and 23 countries. The EI2 team has a diverse background and has worked in various part of the world to build or strengthen their innovation ecosystems.
The Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC) is the 501(c)(3) contracting entity and supporting organization for research at Georgia Tech.

i.	Background

The “Airports and Economic Development Training Program” was created by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders in Atlanta (CIFAL Atlanta) with the support of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and implemented in collaboration with Airports Council International (ACI) and other private sector partners. 

Bearing in mind the significant and meaningful economic and social impact an international airport has on its local and regional economy, especially when there are millions of people gravitating around it annually, John Kasarda first defined the term “Aerotropolis” back in 2000 as follow: “An aerotropolis is a metropolitan subregion whose infrastructure, land use, and economy are centred on an airport (Kasarda, 2019).”  

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (HJAIA) is owned and operated by the City of Atlanta Department of Aviation (DOA) and is a great example of how impactful an airport can be on its region. HJAIA has grown in size and importance to not only the metropolitan Atlanta region, but also to the world, and the State of Georgia heavily relies on it. Today, ATL is considered the economic engine of the metropolitan Atlanta region, with a direct economic impact of over $32.5 billion and a total economic impact on the State of Georgia of $68.3 billion. ATL is also considered to be one of the largest employment centers in the south-eastern United States, providing over 58,000 on-site jobs along with being one of the busiest airports in the world . 

The Georgia Institute of Technology’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2) has a mission to increase the competitiveness of enterprises in Georgia through the application of science, technology, and innovation. It is a world-class innovation-led economic development organization with over 14 programs and 120 research faculty committed to socio-economic development through building and scaling startups, growing business enterprises, and energizing ecosystem builders like CIFAL and HJAIA. EI2 is the largest, oldest, and most successful university, socio-economic development organization in the country which annually helps to attract over $700 million in investment and create or save over 10,000 jobs for Georgia.  Lastly, EI2 has a global footprint with efforts in over 75 countries.

III.	Program Objectives and Description
Considering HJAIA leadership and expertise on leveraging airport infrastructures for economic development, UNITAR, CIFAL Atlanta/Georgia Tech, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport are joining forces to offer a training program aimed at providing tools and innovative strategies to best leverage local resources, infrastructure and airport operations to spur long term economic development. 


IV.	Program Dates
The Program is designed around intensive two-day seminars that create an international platform for dialogue on key issues related to airports, aviation and economic development.
The Airports and Economic Development Training Program will include 4 training workshops delivered between November 2023 and December 2024 in the following proposed locations:


Region	Date	Location
Africa	Q1 -2024	Morocco
Global	Q2 -2024	Atlanta, USA
Asia 	Q3 - 2024	India or Singapore
Latin America	Q4 -2024	Mexico






*Locations are subject to change in agreement with partners and specific dates to be determined in conjunction with partners.


i. Monitoring, evaluation and reporting

The Project will be consistent with the requirements of UNITAR’s Monitoring and Evaluation Policy Framework.

UNITAR will administer a questionnaire at the conclusion of each activity to obtain participant reactions on a number of key measures, including job relevance, newness of information, intent to use, overall usefulness and the degree to which learning objectives have been met. Results from the monitoring and evaluation of the project will be communicated to the partners and in the form of a project completion report which will record findings, conclusions, and recommendations.  

An evaluation of learning outcomes will also be administered amongst beneficiaries to assess strengthened knowledge and/or skills, equivalent to level 2 of the Kirkpatrick model. Additionally, an evaluation of institutional capacity outcomes (e.g. increased individual performance resulting from the application of knowledge, skills, awareness) can be administered to monitor results of the program.  EI2 will support data collection and reporting, as required.


V.	Target Audiences
The target audience for this series of workshops are delegates from governments, private and civil organizations from the Western Hemisphere, Asia–Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East regions, as follows: 

o	Airport Executives
o	Civil Aviation Authorities
o	Business Leaders
o	Economic Development Officials from the Western Hemisphere, Asia–Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East

VI.	Key Benefits
The participants of the airport program will be benefited from learning the following critical topics, among other things:

o	Economic development  
o	Airport competitiveness
o	Technological innovations
o	Safety management systems
o	Security preparedness
o	Terminal and airside operations
o	Strategies to generate non-aeronautical revenue  
o	Cargo logistics
o	Airport service quality  
o	Environmental sustainability
o	Preparedness for mega events
o	Disaster preparedness and service recovery

EI2 will support the planning and programming for the four workshops. In addition, EI2 will provide guest speakers and experts from the institute on select topics mentioned above.

Participants in these workshops will acquire the working knowledge and skills to return to their respective organizations and countries and become agents of change. During the trainings, participants will put concepts learned into practice, through engaging discussions and interactive group assignments and will leave the program armed with the tools and a mindset to promote, support, advance economic development and boost their airports potential in their regions.


 **Introduction:** Instead of diving straight into the details, provide a brief introduction that sets the context for the program. Explain the importance of airports in economic development and how this training program aims to address key challenges and opportunities in this domain.