In April, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced a $300,000 grant to create new labs at Liberty University’s Center for Energy Research & Education (CERE) in Bedford County. The grant was one of five regional projects funded through GO Virginia (Growth and Opportunity for Virginia) to diversify regional economies, strengthen their workforce, and support collaborative programs between localities, public entities, and private businesses.
The grant will help with the construction of four labs — a chemical/material lab, an EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) lab, a calibration lab, and a nondestructive testing lab — that will offer regional companies and higher education institutions, including Liberty’s School of Engineering, the facilities necessary to promote research and development. The labs will be used by advanced manufacturing companies in the energy and technology sectors for testing, research, and workforce development.
Liberty will provide oversight and administration, working with industry professionals to acquire and configure new equipment and ensure that the work is responsive to current and future needs.
