Focus
Entrepreneurship
As a University located in Charlottesville with one of the fastest-growing venture capital ecosystems in America, UVA contributes to the city’s culture of collaboration and innovation and supports entrepreneurs throughout the Commonwealth.
Darden offers over 35 elective courses in entrepreneurship and innovation, four major entrepreneurial competitions awarding more than $370,000 annually, and an incubator program know as the i.Lab. Graduates are prepared to meet the unique challenges of today's business landscape and to accelerate economic growth through entrepreneurship.
Professor Gregory B. Fairchild is the first director of Northern Virginia operations for the University of Virginia. He will oversee programs and facilities currently offered by Darden, the McIntire School of Commerce, and the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, among others. His appointment is indicative of UVA's growing presence in the Washington region.
Darden's Executive MBA and Global Executive MBA programs will now operate primarily from a new state-of-the-art facility in the Rosslyn district of Arlington, VA. A marriage between distance learning and weekend residencies creates flexibility for working adults and deepens ties to the Northern Virginia area.
Funding from the University's Strategic Investment Fund and the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development enabled UVA-Wise to open "The Nest," a critical step towards creating a robust culture of entrepreneurship and innovation in the region.
Plans are underway to create ease of connection between UVA's Research Park, CHO, and the Hollymead Town Center to benefit Virginia visitors and businesses. A new vision for the park enhances efforts to draw people together for smoother business collaborations.
UVA will receive funding to train teams of students and faculty research scientists to inspire effective innovation and entrepreneurial thinking. Teams will be introduced to real-world, hands-on training that helps move ideas from the laboratory to the marketplace.
Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball visited UVA on Friday, September 28, 2018. The Secretary engaged with UVA faculty and administrators to discuss UVA's economic development initiatives and efforts to create impact across the state..
The CvilleBioHub has been awarded over $80,000 from the GO Virginia initiative to expand and sustain the biotechnology ecosystem in the region. UVA partnered with the CvilleBioHub on this grant because of the project's alignment with an economic development goal: to support innovation and emerging industry clusters in Central Virginia.
UVA played a big role in establishing the Clinch River Valley Initiative (CRVI), a multi-partner effort to build local economies in Southwest Virginia by leveraging the natural assets of the Clinch River.
UVA researchers propose that the business community can address sustainability challenges through innovation and development of new technologies. A new book considers the role of industry, academia, and government partnerships for improving sustainability in Virginia and beyond.
UVA awarded $3.5 million to UVA-Wise to create an innovation ecosystem in the region. Funding will establish a Center for Innovation and boost enrollment in computer science and software engineering programs at the college.
UVA supports development of new entrepreneurs and fosters an entrepreneurial ecosystem in our region. After incubation in the i.Lab and a successful company launch, Tsampa Tsnacks now stocks product within the local small business community.