I am a proud graduate of Virginia Tech…although I refuse to disclose the year of my graduation. I am also proud, and amazed, at how fast VT’s “Corporate Research Center” (CRC) has grown since it began in 1985.
The purpose of the CRC is to increase the corporate and governmental research relationships with VT, provide facilities and support to the university and Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc., and to help bring faculty research to commercial reality and transfer technology to the private sector. The CRC has been wildly successful and now has 140 tenants/employers with approximately 2,200 employees. The tenants are involved in numerous industries including:
Agriculture
Biotechnology
Business Assistance
Computer Science
Electronics
Engineering and Design
Environmental
Forestry
Internet/Telecom
Library Science
Materials and Chemistry
Medical Products/Devices
Transportation
My Take: There are a lot of very smart people working on cutting edge technology at the CRC. However, I have one very important warning to those smart people; Do not sign a non-compete agreement which prevents you from doing what you love to do and where you love to do it. Otherwise, your unlimited future may have just hit a brick wall.