Rowen Foundation Announces Rowen Convergence Center at 2025 Convergence Summit

New hub for interdisciplinary research and collaboration to anchor 2,000-acre knowledge community

ATLANTA, GA (Oct. 13, 2025) — At today’s Rowen Convergence Summit at the Woodruff Arts Center, Rowen Foundation Chairman Sachin Shailendra announced the launch of the Rowen Convergence Center, a landmark 10,000 square foot facility designed to serve as the permanent hub for interdisciplinary collaboration in Georgia’s 2,000-acre Rowen knowledge community. This will be the first vertical development at Rowen.

The announcement was made before an audience of more than 200 scientists, artists, educators and business leaders gathered for the third annual Summit, themed “The Science of Art in Discovery, Research & Innovation.”

Rowen Convergence Center backyard view

The Rowen Convergence Center will provide state-of-the-art spaces for research, performance, exhibitions and convening — a physical anchor for the partnerships and innovations sparked each year at the Summit and through Rowen’s Living Lab partnerships with many of Georgia’s higher education institutions and other organizations.

“Through the years, both history and our Convergence Summit have shown that when talented people from a variety of disciplines come together, discovery accelerates,” said Mason Ailstock, President & CEO of Rowen Foundation. “With the Convergence Center, we are creating a home for that spirit year-round — ensuring Georgia becomes the place where the next generation of innovators, dreamers, and creators can thrive.”

Rowen leaders expect to break ground on the project in mid-2026. Video and renderings of the site are available here.

Prior to the Convergence Center announcement, scientists, artists and others from around the nation gathered to share discoveries and establish new relationships at the intersection of art and science.

“The Woodruff Arts Center is proud to host this year’s Summit because it embodies exactly what we believe in — the power of creativity to fuel progress,” said Hala Moddelmog, President and CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center. “By bringing artists and scientists together in one space, Rowen is redefining innovation, and we’re thrilled to see the Convergence Center extend that impact year-round.”

This evening, more than 500 researchers, scientists, educators, artists, corporate partners, foundations, and community leaders will gather in Atlanta Symphony Hall for the Woodruff Arts Center’s official launch of Georgia’s NeuroArts Coalition in partnership with the NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative. The NeuroArts Blueprint—a collaboration between Johns Hopkins International Arts + Mind Lab and the Aspen Institute—selected the Woodruff Arts Center to lead their Community NeuroArts Coalition (CNC) in Georgia. Pilot CNCs are located in Kansas City, Palm Beach, and New York, with the NeuroArts Blueprint to announce eight additional CNCs this month. Called the Arts + Health Laboratory: Georgia’s NeuroArts Coalition, this initiative is designed to harness the transformative power of the arts, grounded in neuroscience, to improve health and well-being. The launch will highlight how the arts measurably change the body, brain, and behavior through scientific discovery.

This morning’s Summit programming included panel discussions, interactive activations and artistic performances that showcased the interplay of creativity and inquiry. Leaders from Emory University, Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia and a variety of leading non-profits joined internationally recognized scientists and artists to highlight the value of interdisciplinary work.

The Foundation also recently posted an RFP for a multifamily developer in the Rowen Village and near the Convergence Center. Additional plans for the Rowen Village will be announced in the months ahead.

“While housing is not a core part of our vision at Rowen, we have said all along that a vibrant mixed-use village will need to have residential options for the scientists, scholars, educators, researchers, employees and others who may be working at Rowen in the years ahead,” said Ailstock. “This RFP will allow us to find the right partner to help launch the village in a way that complements the Convergence Center and gives certainty and opportunity to the prospects we are recruiting.”

About Rowen

Rowen is a 2,000-acre knowledge community in Gwinnett County, Georgia, designed to advance research, discovery, and innovation in the areas of agriculture, medicine, and the environment. With a 50-year vision, Rowen is building a place where academia, business, and government collaborate to solve the world’s most pressing challenges.

For more information about Rowen and the Rowen Convergence Center, visit www.rowenlife.com

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