BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA June 12, 2025 – Located in CNBC’s #1 state for business, the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, Inc. (VTCRC) proudly celebrates 40 years of driving innovation, advancing research, and transforming ideas into real-world impact.
Since its founding in 1985 in partnership with Virginia Tech, VTCRC has been a catalyst for groundbreaking technologies and entrepreneurial success. Serving as a launchpad for discovery, VTCRC fosters a collaborative ecosystem where startups scale, corporations thrive, and research moves from concept to commercialization.
“VTCRC is where education meets business. It is among the nation’s most recognized university research centers with 40 buildings housing 220 companies across more than 1.2 million square feet of space — right next to Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg campus. On this important 40th anniversary, the VTCRC team begins a new phase. In providing places and programs where entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and researchers can collaborate and deploy ground-breaking technologies — innovated by Virginia Tech people — VTCRC will create opportunity and solutions to the world’s challenges. As VTCRC enters its next era, by Virginia Tech’s side in all its locations, VTCRC will help to propel Virginia Tech’s definition of innovation into private and public sector relationships.” – Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc. CEO and Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, Inc. (VTCRC) President Elizabeth A. McClanahan
A Legacy of Innovation and Impact
More than 220 companies now call VTCRC home, employing over 3,500 professionals in fields ranging from biotechnology and cybersecurity to aerospace and AI.
40 state-of-the-art buildings in Blacksburg and a growing presence across the commonwealth create environments where innovation thrives.
Startups born at VTCRC have scaled into nationally recognized companies, shaping industries and driving the innovation economy.
A powerful link to Virginia Tech continues to fuel transformative partnerships that turn academic breakthroughs into market-ready solutions.
Shaping the Future of Innovation at VTCRC
Looking ahead, the VTCRC is poised to deepen its impact on Virginia’s innovation economy. With strategic plans to expand its physical and programmatic reach, VTCRC will continue to champion research-driven entrepreneurship, support scalable ventures, and strengthen public-private collaborations.
As VTCRC embarks on its next 40 years, it remains committed to pushing boundaries, empowering innovators, and solving global challenges.
Join us in celebrating this milestone year and exploring what’s next.
For more information about anniversary events and future plans, visit www.vtcrc.com or follow VTCRC on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
About the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center
Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, Inc. (VTCRC) is where education meets business. VTCRC advances University research by providing places and programs where entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and researchers can collaborate. VTCRC helps inventors, founders, industrialists, and companies deploy groundbreaking technologies to create opportunity and solutions to the world’s challenges.
