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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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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Tanner PooreBusiness Development Manager, Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center//Tanner Poore drives strategic partnerships and supports the growth of tenant and stakeholder relationships at the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center. With a background spanning business development, account management, and commercial banking, he is passionate about advancing economic development and fostering innovation-driven organizations across Virginia.<br/>A Virginia Tech graduate with a degree in economics and an alum of Leadership Roanoke Valley, Tanner enjoys connecting businesses with resources, networks, and opportunities that strengthen the region’s innovation ecosystem and long-term prosperity.//tanner.poore@vtcrc.com
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Kiyah DuffeyExecutive Director, Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center // Kiyah Duffey is executive director of the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, where she works to strengthen Virginia's innovation ecosystem by connecting partners to accelerate the process from discovery to real-world impact. She leads strategic initiatives that foster collaboration, support high-growth ventures, and create the conditions where innovation can thrive. <br/>Kiyah 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
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Heidi AngleMarketing and Communications Manager, Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center//Heidi Angle is marketing and communications manager for the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, where she manages communications that elevate the founders, researchers, companies, and partners shaping Virginia’s innovation ecosystem. Through strategic communications, digital marketing, content development, events, and storytelling, she works to strengthen community engagement, increase visibility, and connect audiences with the people and ideas driving innovation.<br/>Heidi enjoys building relationships and uncovering the stories behind the people and organizations she supports. She believes great communications begin with curiosity, collaboration, and making complex ideas accessible. Outside of work, she enjoys painting, interior design, exploring new places, and spending time with her husband, Bailey, and their dog, Margot.<br/>A graduate of the University of Virginia, Heidi earned a Bachelor of Arts as a Miller Arts Scholar through the Interdisciplinary Distinguished Major Program, with concentrations in arts administration, media studies, and studio art.//heidi.angle@vtcrc.com