Here are some of the top things happening along the Roanoke Innovation Corridor the week of December 14 – 18 (#roanokeinnovates):
- Dr. Lindsey Marr, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech was recently featured in Wall Street Journal article Ventilation is Key to Battling Covid. Here’s Why. LEARN MORE.
- Luna Innovations Incorporated (NASDAQ: LUNA), a global leader in advanced optical technology, today announced a $6.2 million deal with Lockheed Martin, further extending a long term relationship that has resulted in the development of new optical measurement products that will help to ensure the global fleet of F-35 aircraft, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, are ready for service. LEARN MORE.
- For the first-time in a virtual setting, Virginia Tech students pitched commercialization ideas for biomedical products to a “Shark Tank”-style panel of judges during the annual Health Sciences and Technology (HS&T) Hokie Pitch.The competition involved students from the translational biology, medicine and health graduate program, who worked with real-world mentors, selected intellectual property, and created an entrepreneurial plan to develop and commercialize biomedical discoveries. LEARN MORE.
- Why do some communities thrive in the new economy and others don’t? The answer’s not all that hard. The winners have the things that the new economies want – among them, a tech-savvy workforce, a quality of life that makes that tech-savvy workforce want to live there as opposed to someplace else, venture capital to help fund new companies. This article recently appeared in The Roanoke Times Editorial Page. LEARN MORE.
- RAMP announced that applications are now open for the spring cohort which begins March 15, 2021. Startups in the high-tech and life science industries are being sought with scalability, and coachable entrepreneurs with a desire to do the work. Five companies will be selected for the 12-week cohort that provides expert 1:1 mentoring, free office space with high-speed internet, and $20,000 in equity-free funding. This program also provides ongoing support to alumni for a 3-year period including opportunities to pitch to angels and VC’s. There is no cost to apply. LEARN MORE.
- Thanks to the advocacy of a group of students at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, a common laboratory test to measure kidney function has been updated and will no longer include what has been found to be an unsubstantiated adjustment for race introduced over 20 years ago. LEARN MORE.
- Innovation Mill announced it is currently accepting applications for the three-month program targeting early-stage startups with the potential to become high-growth companies. If you have a great business idea or prototype you want to take to the next level, please contact The Advancement Foundation. LEARN MORE.
- Dogwood, a publication owned and operated by Courier Newsroom, published an article today capturing the impact a Go Virginia project will have on biotech companies. “It’s pretty audacious and bold.” That’s how Virginia Bio Chief Executive Officer John Newby described the effort he will spearhead, creating four new regional biotech hubs throughout the Commonwealth. The project is called “Virginia BioConnect” and the Virginia Growth and Opportunity (GO Virginia) Board approved its application for grant funding when it met Dec. 7. LEARN MORE.