Southwest Virginia companies in the transportation-related industry may be eligible for grant money to help with expansion and job creation – but Virginia Tech needs to hear from those companies by Feb. 8.
The money is flowing into Southwest Virginia under a $1.67 million project from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Companies involved in transportation equipment manufacturing and their suppliers may be available for grants totaling about $1 million. Grants will focus on product development, process improvement, and green technologies.
Virginia Tech College of Engineering faculty will be providing technical assistance under the grants. Some 20 projects will be funded in the 14-county corridor from Bristol to Roanoke.
For more information about the initiative and eligibility requirements, contact Robert Taylor, director, Center for High Performance Manufacturing at Virginia Tech, 540-231-6201, or email the center at chpm@vt.edu.
“What companies should consider applying for the grants?” asks John Provo, interim director of the Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development. “Companies that could benefit from the application of Virginia Tech’s research and technical expertise to problems or opportunities. In many instances, these projects will require human assets or equipment not readily available to the company.”
Job creation is the goal of the project, aimed to bolster an industry that – despite job losses to Mexico – still employs 8,000 workers in Southwest Virginia.
The project – called the Western Virginia Transportation Equipment Manufacturing Competitiveness Initiative – involves partners such as the New River Valley Planning District Commission, the Mount Rogers Planning District Commission, and the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission.
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