CAER awarded $7.6 million for nuclear energy research center
The Center for Advanced Engineering and Research (CAER) has been awarded $7.6
million from the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization
Commission to build a nuclear energy research center in the region.
The
announcement came following the Commission's quarterly meeting held on Thursday
in Bristol where board members voted to fund certain special projects for fiscal
year 2009.
The award will go toward site preparation, design and
construction, and basic equipment for a 25,000-square-foot research facility
planned for the New London Business and Technology Center in Bedford County. The
CAER center will house research labs, classroom space, and meeting rooms to
support applied research and design activities.
"Bedford County is
honored to be the site for this unique facility that will play a crucial role in
advancing our region's science and technology footprint," said Bedford County
Administrator Kathleen D. Guzi, who supported the selection of the New London
site, located just off 460 West toward Bedford.
According to Bob
Bailey, CAER executive director, the new center will provide local companies,
research universities, federal laboratories, and other partners with a central
point for applied research, product development, commercialization, and
professional training. The CAER, which already has established several
partnerships between companies, universities, and R&D labs, plans to attract
up to $5-10 million in research contracts and grant awards within the first five
years of operation.
"We will work closely with local companies to
determine what research activities will help them solve specific problems and
address the needs of the broader nuclear energy industry," Bailey said, adding
that the facility will also be utilized by other technology industries in the
region, such as wireless and electronics.
Bailey says the next step is
to select an architectural design and engineering firm and form an industry
advisory group that will provide guidance in the design and construction of the
center. "We are looking for a campus-like space with a university research
feel," he said.
"This is tangible evidence of our long history of
regional cooperation and public/private partnerships being used to build a
tech-based economic development program in this region," said Bryan David,
executive director of Virginia's Region 2000 Economic Development Council. "This
facility will add the physical infrastructure needed to propel us to the
forefront of research and design in the Commonwealth of
Virginia."
For more information contact Bob Bailey at bbailey@caer.us or phone (434) 847-1447.