WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, was awarded the Georgia Research Alliance Legacy Award from the Georgia Research Alliance and the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Isakson was presented with the award Wednesday at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., for his longstanding support of the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) and Georgia’s research universities.

“Georgia is second-to-none in what we can provide to businesses and the world when we combine the talents and time of our research universities with our workers and enterprise,” said Isakson. “I am proud to be a strong advocate and a promoter of our research universities and of the Georgia Research Alliance, and I am honored to receive this award.”

The Georgia Research Alliance Legacy Award was inaugurated in 2013 to honor select individuals who have distinguished themselves through extraordinary support of the GRA and of Georgia’s public and private research universities. Isakson becomes only the second recipient of this honor, joining his former colleague, retired U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss as an honoree.

Remarked GRA Chairman Doug Hertz, “Johnny Isakson has been at the table since the very beginning, and has distinguished himself as among the most ardent, courageous, and consistent advocates for Georgia’s research universities and the Georgia Research Alliance since its inception in 1990. As a businessman, candidate, state legislator, Congressman and now United States Senator, he tirelessly promotes Georgia higher education and our research enterprise every chance he gets, both at home and around the globe. It is only fitting that we honor him with the GRA Legacy Award tonight, in this our Silver Anniversary year.”

“Senator Isakson is unique in that he understands the mission of our schools and the value of the Georgia research enterprise from the inside out,” GRA President Mike Cassidy noted.  “He has developed a personal relationship with each of our university presidents and a number of our GRA Eminent Scholars®, and enthusiastically embraces their work. He truly gets it. He understands the science, and appreciates the impact that commercializing that science has on the economy of Georgia and the quality of life of Georgians. He has been a great champion in every sense of the word.”

The Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) works to expand research and commercialization capacity in Georgia’s universities to recruit world-class talent, seed new companies and transform lives. For twenty-five years, GRA has worked to strengthen the research enterprise in Georgia by working in partnership with the University System of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Economic Development to create the companies and jobs of Georgia’s future. Visit www.gra.org for more information.