Changes

<span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-aae9bcdf-11fc-bb87-15da-99c4b4bbdc88"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Virginia Tech’s efforts to solve society’s problems, improve quality of life, and keep the United States globally competitive require the speedy transfer of ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace (</span>[https://www.research.vt.edu/ <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &#039;Times New Roman&#039;; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-weight: 700; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">VT Research and Innovation</span>]<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp;Working with business and industry is an essential characteristic of the Virginia Tech culture, and it is in the DNA of the university’s students and its 2,500 teaching and research faculty members, many of whom work to patent discoveries, start companies, and provide practical knowledge to the world.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-aae9bcdf-11fc-bb87-15da-99c4b4bbdc88"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blacksburg is home to the </span>[http://www.vtcrc.com/ <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &#039;Times New Roman&#039;; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-weight: 700; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (CRC)</span>]<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, home to nearly 200 research, technology, and support companies employing over 3,000 employees. The CRC works closely with the university to advance the research, educational, and technology transfer missions of Virginia Tech. The CRC facilitates relationships between companies and the university to advance research. The CRC also connects companies with faculty and student projects to be conducted at the research park. They also facilitate a number of programs (intellectual property support, physical research space, research-related employment for students, faculty, and surrounding area, supports Strategic Services and university outreach initiatives) as an intermediary between the university and the surrounding community.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-aae9bcdf-11fc-bb87-15da-99c4b4bbdc88"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Virginia Tech also maintains a presence in Northern Virginia and participates in numerous collaborations between the university and all levels (organizational, local, state, and federal) of government. One program is the</span>[http://www.dcicorps.org/ <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &#039;Times New Roman&#039;; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-weight: 700; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">DC I-Corps</span>]<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The program is a partnership between the University of Maryland, George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, and Virginia Tech. DC I-Corps connects technology entrepreneurs with participants, and helps participants build business models for their technology innovations in a collaborative environment with successful entrepreneurs as the instructors.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-aae9bcdf-11fc-bb87-15da-99c4b4bbdc88"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The </span>[http://www.apexcie.vt.edu/ <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &#039;Times New Roman&#039;; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-weight: 700; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Apex Systems Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE)</span>]<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is a partnership between the university’s </span>[http://www.pamplin.vt.edu/ <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &#039;Times New Roman&#039;; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-weight: 700; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pamplin College of Business</span>]<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and Apex Systems. Apex Systems is an IT staffing and services company founded by four Virginia Tech alumni who have committed $5 million to advancing student entrepreneurial empowerment. The CIE includes a wide variety of activities to involve all students, regardless of major program. These include </span>[http://www.vteclub.org/ <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: &#039;Times New Roman&#039;; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-weight: 700; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Entrepreneur Club</span>]<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the Innovate Living Learning Community, and many funding sources for students to engage in innovation & entrepreneurship.</span></span></span></span>