1. The Research Enterprise at Virginia Tech
Beth Tranter
Chief of Staff
Office of the Vice President for Research

2. Office of the Vice President for Research
Overview
• An Institutional Perspective on Research
• Mechanisms for Research Growth
• Strategic Investment in Discovery Domains

3. Office of the Vice President for Research
An Institutional Perspective on Research

4. Office of the Vice President for Research
Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)
Mission
The mission of the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) is to foster and
support research, scholarship and innovation at Virginia Tech. OVPR is committed to
fostering an environment in which ideas flourish, encouraging the highest standards
of quality and ethical conduct, and serving the good of our region, the
Commonwealth, the nation, and our global community.
Research Strategic Plan – 2012‐2018
Priority 1: Focusing Investment in areas of Regional, National, and Global Importance
Priority 2: Fostering a High‐Quality Environment for Research
Priority 3: Facilitating the Integration of Research, Education and Outreach
Priority 4: Promoting Development of an Innovation Ecosystem
Priority 5: Strengthening the Research Administration Infrastructure

5. Office of the Vice President for Research
Office of Research – Administration

6. Office of the Vice President for Research
Research Expenditures
Actual NSF‐reported expenditures – FY 2000‐2013
AN INSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVE ON RESEARCH

7. Office of the Vice President for Research
Overview of Virginia Tech
Sponsored Research Portfolio
All Sources
Federal Sources
AN INSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVE ON RESEARCH

8. Office of the Vice President for Research
NSF‐reported Research Expenditure
Rankings
Rankings of selected Virginia
Institutions in FY 12
Virginia Tech 40th
University of Virginia
(main campus) 59th
Virginia
Commonwealth
University
101st
George Mason
University 154th
Eastern Virginia
Medical School 215th

9. Office of the Vice President for Research
Number and Value of Proposals

10. Office of the Vice President for Research
Mechanisms for Research Growth

11. Office of the Vice President for Research
The Research Institutes of Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech
Carilion
Research
Institute
Fralin
Life Science
Institute
Virginia
Bioinformatics
Institute
Institute for
Society,
Culture and
Environment
Institute
for
Creativity,
Arts, and
Technology
Virginia Tech
Transportation
Institute
Institute for Critical Technology
and Applied Science
MECHANISMS FOR RESEARCH GROWTH

12. Office of the Vice President for Research
Strategic Partnerships in FY13
MECHANISMS FOR RESEARCH GROWTH
Virginia Tech Research
Center - Arlington
National Tire
Research Center
Virginia Tech Carilion
Research Institute -
RoanokeVirginia Tech
Blacksburg
Academic Collaborations
• George Mason University
• Hampton University
• James Madison University
• Old Dominion University
• Radford University
• Sweet Briar College
• University of Virginia
• Virginia Commonwealth
University
• Virginia State University
• Virginia Highlands
Community College
• Virginia Western
Community College
• William & Mary
• Norfolk State University
and more . . .

13. Office of the Vice President for Research
Research Faculty Growth
56% increase in Research Faculty 2001‐2013
As of July 1, 2013: 744 Research Faculty
MECHANISMS FOR RESEARCH GROWTH

14. Office of the Vice President for Research
Virginia Tech Research Center ‐ Arlington
MECHANISMS FOR RESEARCH GROWTH
At a glance:
 144,000 sq. feet
 N. Glebe Road
 Close to:
• NSF
• ONR
• DARPA
 Includes:
• Computational Labs
• Office Space
• Conference Space

15. Office of the Vice President for Research
Virginia Tech in the National Capital Region
MECHANISMS FOR RESEARCH GROWTH

16. Office of the Vice President for Research
Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center
The Virginia Tech
Corporate Research
Center is the proud
recipient of the 2010
Outstanding
Research/Science
Park Award given by
the Association of
University Research
Parks (AURP).
MECHANISMS FOR RESEARCH GROWTH
• 150+ private
high‐technology
companies and
research centers
• 2,700+
employees
• 29 buildings
totaling 1
million square
feet
• 230+ acres of
land

17. Office of the Vice President for Research
Strategic Investment in
Discovery Domains

18. Office of the Vice President for Research
Strategic Investment
FOCUS AREAS – 2006-2012
Energy, Materials, and Environment
• Energy
• Environment and bioprocessing
• Water research
• Materials and sensors
Innovative Technologies and
Complex Systems
• Business and manufacturing
• Communications, information technology, cybersecurity
and mathematics
• Transportation
Health, Food, and Nutrition
• Biosciences and biotechnology
• Biomedical science and engineering
• Food, Nutrition, and Health
• Life Sciences
Social and Individual Transformation
• Arts, architecture, and design
• Policy and social sciences
STRATEGIC INVESTMENT

19. Office of the Vice President for Research
Research Growth in Focus Areas
STRATEGIC INVESTMENT

20. Office of the Vice President for Research
Plan for a New Horizon
RESEARCH FOCUS AREAS - 2012-2018
Security
• Cyber‐security
• Food security
• Management and security of communication systems
(such as wireless, networks, and smart grids)
Resilience
• Resilience of complex systems
• System stability and resilience of ecosystems
• Planning for stability in communities of all sizes
Health
• Neuroscience
• Genomics
• Global health issues
• Aging
• Methods grounded in high‐performance computing and
networks
Sustainability
• Energy, materials, and technology
• Water science, policy, and management
• Transportation and communication infrastructures
• Natural resources, ecosystems, and environmental quality
• Informatics and policy
• Food and food systems
• Sustainable international development
STRATEGIC INVESTMENT

21. Office of the Vice President for Research
Security Research
Ted and Karyn Hume Center for National Security and Technology (ICTAS)
STRATEGIC INVESTMENT
CyberCorps Scholarship for Service
Through the CyberCorps Scholarship for Service
program, Virginia Tech offers full scholarships
for three years for students completing an
accelerated B.S. or M.S. in cybersecurity.
National Center of Academic
Excellence in Information
Assurance Research
Virginia Tech is an NSA/DHS CAE‐R, and
features research and educational programs
geared toward information assurance.
National Center of Academic
Excellence in Information
Assurance Research
Virginia Tech is part of the multi‐university
Security and Software Engineering Research
Center (S2ERC), and promotes collaborative
research programs with industry and
government in software security.
Intelligence
Community
Center for
Academic
Excellence

22. Office of the Vice President for Research
Health Research
Functional brain
reorganization in
cerebral palsy
NIH‐funded research clinic
Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute
Addiction research
Developing treatments and
training healthy decision‐making
Regenerative medicine
Dr. Rob Gourdie, Commonwealth
Eminent Scholar
Regeneration
and repair of
the damaged
heart.
STRATEGIC INVESTMENT

23. Office of the Vice President for Research
Health Research
Fralin Life Science Institute
Research Focus Areas:
• Vector‐borne disease
• Infectious Disease and Microbial Science
• Plant Sciences
• Obesity
• Cancer Biology
• Ecology and Organismal Biology
STRATEGIC INVESTMENT
Engaging students in multi‐departmental discussions: Students
involved with the Virginia Tech Center for Drug Discovery share
research results at a poster session.
Supporting undergraduate students with a heart for research: Spencer
Lovegrove studied cardiac arrest as part of Fralin’s Summer
Undergraduate Research Fellowship.
Unraveling mosquito genetics to target infectious disease: Sanjay Basu, a
post‐doctoral associate in the Adelman lab, feeds mosquitoes in the Fralin
Hall insectary.

24. Office of the Vice President for Research
Resiliency Research
Modeling and simulation and “big data” studies to inform emergency
planning; predict spread of infectious disease; manage communications,
security, and privacy; and inform urban planning.
Virginia Bioinformatics Institute
STRATEGIC INVESTMENT

25. Office of the Vice President for Research
Resiliency Research
Northern Virginia I‐66 Test Bed with Roadside Transmitter/Receiver Installation Locations
STRATEGIC INVESTMENT
VTTI Connected Test Bed
HIGHLIGHTED AREA
Washington, DC

26. Office of the Vice President for Research
Sustainability Research
Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science and
research centers across the university
Every Intel processor is powered
with CPES Multi‐Phase Voltage
Regulator Module.
Center for Power
Electronics Systems
A National Science Foundation
Engineering Research Center
(The only NSF ERC led by a Virginia institution)
More than 60 industry members
Center for Energy Harvesting
and Materials Systems
A National Science Foundation
Industry/University Cooperative
Research Program
CEHMS researchers tap the unused
power in industrial machines, human
activity, vehicles, vibrating structures
and other environmental sources.
Virginia Center for
Coal & Energy Research
Established by an Act of the
Virginia General Assembly in March 1977.
VCCER was established as an
interdisciplinary research,
information and resource facility for
the Commonwealth of Virginia.
STRATEGIC INVESTMENT

27. Office of the Vice President for Research
Energy and Sustainability Centers
at Virginia Tech
Energy Infrastructure
• The Center for Intelligent Materials Science and Structures
• Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems
(CEHMS)
• Center for Photonics Technology
• Center for Power Electronics Systems
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
• Center for Energy Systems Research
• The Macromolecules and Interfaces Institute
• Future Energy Electronics Center
Fossil Fuels
• Center for Advanced Separation Technologies
• Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research
Energy Efficiency and Conservation
• Multidisciplinary Analysis and Design Center (MAD
Center) for Advanced Vehicles
Wind, Solar, Hydroelectric and
Biomass Energy
• Center for Energy and the Global Environment
• Conservation Management Institute
Nuclear Energy
• Institute for Particle, Nuclear, and Astronomical Sciences
• Laboratory for Neurotoxicity Studies
• Microwave Processing Research Facility
Dr. Percival Zhang’s research enlists enzymes to deliver renewable
energy from sources such as agricultural waste and switchgrass.
STRATEGIC INVESTMENT

28. Office of the Vice President for Research
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.

29. Office of the Vice President for Research
Virginia Tech Innovation Ecosystem

30. Office of the Vice President for Research
Thank You