Business in Virginia Doing business in VA - VEDP
Skip Navigation Links
WHY
VIRGINIA
EXPAND A
BUSINESS
LOCATE A
BUSINESS
START A SMALL
BUSINESS
BUSINESS
SECTORS
INTERNATIONAL

SITE
SELECTION
COMMUNITY
PROFILES
RESOURCE
CENTER
ABOUT
US
Fast Fact
The National Science Foundation reports that $946 million was spent in academic R&D at Virginia universities in 2006, the latest year of data available.


Virginia Economic
Development Partnership

901 East Byrd Street
P.O. Box 798
Richmond, VA 23218-0798
USA
Get Directions

Inquiries:
(804) 545-5700 (Domestic)
(804) 545-5750 (International)
(804) 545-5600 (General)
(804) 545-5805 (Media)


Skip Navigation Links Home > Why Virginia > Innovative Research and Development

Innovative Research & Development
Incubators for Innovation
The Commonwealth is home to many internationally recognized research and development (R&D) facilities. Federally funded R&D facilities, coupled with the research from Virginia universities, provide Virginia businesses access to leading researchers and cutting-edge technology. From the automotive industry to medical research to the next generation of high technology, these research facilities have something to offer your business.
  • Twenty-nine federal R&D functions are located in Virginia, including 15 Department of Defense research centers, the new Homeland Security Institute, NASA Langley Research Center, and DOE’s unique Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.

  • More than 200 private sector R&D facilities are located in Virginia.

  • NASA Langley's facilities in Hampton include the only wind tunnels in the United States capable of testing structures in winds up to 17,500 miles per hour.

  • Wallops Flight Facility, located on Virginia's Eastern Shore, is a unique research airport and is NASA's principal center for management and implementation of suborbital research programs.

  • Seven university research parks offer private companies opportunities for co-location and cooperative relationships with the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Medical College of Virginia, The College of William and Mary, George Mason University and Old Dominion University.

  • Four nationally prominent private, non-profit research institutes have established significant centers in Virginia in recent years: SRI’s Center for Advanced Drug Research in the Shenandoah Valley, The National Institute of Aerospace in Hampton; The Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Loudoun County; and Carilion Biomedical Institute in Roanoke.

  • The National Institute of Aerospace is a strategic partner of NASA Langley Research Center and conducts leading-edge aerospace research and development through a consortium of research universities including Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, Old Dominion University, William and Mary, Georgia Tech, University of Maryland and North Carolina State University.

  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Northern Virginia is a unique new biomedical research complex modeled after the successful collaborative science centers in Europe. The complex will house and support 300 scientists across a wide range of disciplines engaged in biomedical research.

Click Graphic for Interactive Map

Research and Development Facilities in Virginia