Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center
Shaping ideas into fundable opportunities
Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center
Where education meets business
The power of place
The Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center stands at the forefront of Virginia’s innovation ecosystem, serving as a launchpad for groundbreaking ideas that transform industries and shape the future.
Located next to Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg campus, VTCRC empowers bold thinkers to turn cutting-edge research into market-ready solutions. State-of-the-art facilities include flexible-lease wet and dry research labs, high-tech offices, and COgro coworking spaces, all equipped with top-tier amenities designed to accelerate progress.
The newly launched Entrepreneur Resource Center serves as a starting point for early-stage founders to get building — backed by a team that’s ready to help.
A strategic home for innovation
Since 1985, more than 750 premier organizations have called the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center home. Today, the enterprise spans Virginia, providing leading-edge innovators unparalleled access to resources, partnerships, and opportunities for growth.
Our team
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Danielle AkersDirector of Marketing and Communications, Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center // As director of marketing and communications for the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, Danielle brings visibility to the founders, researchers, and partners driving Virginia’s innovation economy. She also serves as director of communications for the Virginia Tech Foundation. She’s passionate about using storytelling to connect people and ideas, helping communities see what’s possible when collaboration fuels progress.<br/>A graduate of Southern New Hampshire University, Danielle holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and an MBA with a concentration in economics. She blends creativity with strategy to build brands and initiatives that make a lasting impact across Virginia’s innovation landscape.//danielle.akers@vtcrc.com
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Chelsea Jenkins OlivieriPresident, COSOLVE; Managing Director, Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (Newport News) // Chelsea Jenkins Olivieri leads COSOLVE, a management consulting agency that tackles complex challenges in energy, defense, and economic development. She also serves as managing director of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center in Newport News, where innovation meets industry to fuel Virginia’s next generation of growth.<br/>Chelsea is passionate about turning ideas into impact. She thrives on collaboration — bringing together brilliant minds to solve big problems and create meaningful change for communities. She holds a degree in integrated science and technology from James Madison University, with concentrations in energy, environment, and transportation. She was recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy as the 2009 Clean Cities Coordinator of the Year and inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2011.//chelseaolivieri@vt.edu//(540) 961-3600
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Kiyah DuffeyDirector of Operations, Entrepreneur Resource Center, Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center // Kiyah Duffey helps founders bring bold ideas to life by connecting them with the people, programs, and resources they need to grow at the Entrepreneur Resource Center. She is energized by collaboration and the creative process of turning vision into reality. She loves working alongside builders — scientists, entrepreneurs, and dreamers — who are driven to make an impact. For her, the most rewarding part of the job is helping others see what’s possible and giving them the confidence and tools to make it happen.<br/>Kiyah earned her Ph.D. in nutritional epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her B.A. in psychology from Bowdoin College. Her work as a researcher, entrepreneur, and strategist has been featured in national media, including NPR, Good Morning America, and O Magazine.//kiyah.duffey@vtcrc.com