More than $8.1 million in Growth and Opportunity for Virginia, or GO Virginia, grant awards were announced today for 17 projects focused on accelerating economic growth.
Projects will support the growth of select industries across the Commonwealth by training and connecting talent to employers, supporting entrepreneurs seeking to start companies and creating supportive economic environments for the targeted industries to grow.
There were no projects in Staunton, Waynesboro, Harrisonburg, Augusta or Rockingham counties selected.
“GO Virginia allows us to invest in key projects that address regionally identified opportunities while fostering collaboration for economic growth between the private and public sectors,” said Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. “These projects exemplify the innovative partnerships that GO Virginia was designed to promote, and will advance Virginia’s position in critical industries such as life science and energy, as well as leverage emerging opportunities in semiconductor manufacturing.”
GO Virginia encourages regional economic growth and diversification by supporting collaborative projects that focus on workforce development, cluster scaleup, startup ecosystems and site development.
“As we grow Virginia’s economy, the workforce must grow with it, and GO Virginia continues to inspire innovative solutions and regional collaboration,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick. “These 17 projects will support and grow industry sectors and talent pipelines that are instrumental growing our economy.”
In addition to the awarded GO Virginia funding, the 17 awarded projects will leverage an additional $5.6 million in local and non-state funding.
“We would like to thank the regional council leadership and project partners for their work in advancing these impactful projects,” said Nancy Howell Agee, chair of the GO Virginia State Board. “GO Virginia continues to recognize and facilitate strong regional economic development efforts that create the right environment for private-sector job growth and puts the Commonwealth in a position to compete to win.”
Since the program’s inception in 2017, GO Virginia has funded 258 projects and awarded approximately $107 million to support regional economic development efforts.
As of 2022, Go Virginia has created more than 26,000 new jobs, trained 13,000 students in high-demand fields, created 2,700 work-based learning opportunities, including internships and apprenticeships, and awarded 3,600 workforce credentials.
To learn more about the GO Virginia program, visit dhcd.virginia.gov/gova.
Growth and Opportunity for Virginia awards
- Virginia Nanotechnology Networked Infrastructure | $3,300,000
Region 7: Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William - Demonstration Site for Clean Energy Transition to Green Hydrogen | $1,497,452
Region 5: Cities of Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach - Innovation Pathways | $978,449
Region 6: Counties of Caroline, King George and Stafford - Lynchburg Career Acceleration Program | $540,000
Region 2: Campbell County, the city of Lynchburg and the town of Altavista - Talent Pathways Planning Initiative Application | $250,000
Region 5: Counties of Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, Poquoson, Southampton and York, the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Williamsburg, and Virginia Beach - Workforce Now | $250,000
Region 6: Counties of Caroline, Spotsylvania and Stafford, and the city of Fredericksburg - Center of Entrepreneurship | $240,192
Region 2: Counties of Amherst, Bedford and Campbell, and the city of Lynchburg - Rural Entrepreneur Ecosystem Building | $200,000
Region 9: Counties of Culpeper, Greene and Orange, and the town of Culpeper - Southside Virginia Community College Expanding GO TEC Pathways | $139,732
Region 3: Counties of Buckingham, Cumberland and Prince Edward - Patrick and Henry Community College Expanding GO TEC Pathways | $118,545
Region 3: Henry County and the city of Martinsville - CvilleBioLab | $100,000
Region 9: Counties of Albermarle and Louisa, and the city of Charlottesville - The Cyber-Guild | $100,000
Region 7: Counties of Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William - Project Collective Impact: Life Science Workforce Preparedness | $100,000
Region 7: Counties of Fairfax and Prince William - Small Modular Reactor Site Feasibility | $100,000
Region 1: Counties of Lee, Wise, Scott and Dickenson, and the city of Norton - Metal Workforce Training Center | $99,900
Region 2: Bedford County and the town of Bedford - Young Entrepreneurs Program | $98,000
Region 6: Counties of King George and Gloucester, and the town of Colonial Beach - Small Modular Reactor Supply Chain Analysis | $50,000
Region 1: Counties of Dickenson, Lee, Wise and Scott, and the city of Norton
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Crystal Graham
