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== <br/><span style="font-size:large;"><span style="font-size:large;"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;">'''Facilitating University-Industry Collaboration'''</span></span></span> ==
Blacksburg is home to the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (CRC), 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.
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 DC I-Corps, 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.
The Apex Systems Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) is a partnership between the university’s Pamplin College of Business 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 Entrepreneur Club, the Innovate Living Learning Community, and many funding sources for students to engage in innovation & entrepreneurship.
== <br/><span style="font-size:large;"><span style="font-size:large;"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;">'''Engaging with regional and local development efforts'''</span></span></span> ==
<span style="font-size:larger;">At Virginia Tech, community engagement is crucial to us. We have an [https://econdev.vt.edu/About.html Office of Economic Development] that focuses on just that. We partner with business and communities with on-campus and local resources. One of the main studies that has garnered much interest was studying and analyzing the impact of the prominent Virginia Tech football team plays on the local economy. Our university football team helps provide 300 local jobs and $69 million to the community. Our school is passionate about efforts to improve the area we live in and are striving to discover more ways to do so. </span>