VIPC Regional Innovation Fund Grant Awarded to Charlottesville BioHub to Strengthen the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the Charlottesville Region

Funding will further Charlottesville BioHub’s goals to advance entrepreneurship in the area’s biotechnology sector and support tech and other innovation-led sectors with resourcing and connection

Charlottesville, Virginia – Charlottesville BioHub, an industry-led 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening Charlottesville’s biotechnology industry sector, today announced that it has received a $200,000 grant from the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation’s (VIPC) Regional Innovation Fund (RIF), an administered state-funded program that provides competitive grants to leading Virginia-based organizations that support entrepreneurship. Charlottesville BioHub is at the center of a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Charlottesville region, with many partners across economic development, industry, and academia.

Charlottesville BioHub’s Project InnoVAte aims to broaden the region’s network capital and connect high-growth, scalable startups in biotech, tech, and other innovation-led sectors to relevant programming and resourcing within the ecosystem.

“We are pleased to provide a Regional Innovation Fund grant to Charlottesville BioHub to support its efforts to strengthen Central Virginia’s biotechnology industry through engagement, resourcing, and education,” said Conaway Haskins, Vice President for Entrepreneurial Ecosystems at the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation. “The organization aims to double the size of the industry in its geographic footprint by 2030 by creating value and reducing barriers for companies to thrive and grow within the region. Over the past five years, Charlottesville BioHub has emerged as a linchpin to growing the region’s biotech and life sciences sector and it is serving as a model for other regional biotech hub efforts across Virginia.”

Project InnoVAte includes three initiatives:
• InnoVAte: An expanded Entrepreneurship-in-Residence (EIR) program will support company commercialization and business operations through education and advising for early-stage ventures.
• ActiVAte: Curated high-quality programming for entrepreneurs, ecosystem partners, students, and community members.
• CultiVAte: Ecosystem leader engagement and ecosystem network development to roadmap the region’s future.

Unintended consequences – FODMAP rich diets and digestive distress

Consumers are increasingly in pursuit of healthier diets, including plant-based diets, Mediterranean style diets and ones high in fiber. Along with these diet changes, though, can come digestive distress from specific dietary elements called FODMAPs (fermentable oligo-, di-, monosaccharides and polyols). FODMAPs can include lactose, found in dairy products; galactans, found in legumes; and fructans, …

05/24/2023

Regional Partners Collaborate to Launch Advancing Oncology InnoVAtion QuickFire Challenge

Johnson & Johnson Innovation, in collaboration with Carilion Clinic Innovation, Verge Alliance, and Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, is proud to launch the Advancing Oncology InnoVAtion QuickFire Challenge. Innovators from around the globe are invited to submit potential solutions aiming to transform patient outcomes in oncology in adult populations with potential applications in pediatric oncology. …

05/23/2023

Eskandarian named dean of the VCU College of Engineering

Azim Eskandarian, D.Sc., has been named dean and William H. Goodwin Jr. Endowed Chair of the VCU College of Engineering, effective Aug. 1. Eskandarian currently serves as department head and Nicholas and Rebecca des Champs Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. “Azim Eskandarian has established himself as a highly …

News