ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 24, 1994                   TAG: 9402240172
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-4   EDITION: METRO  
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short


TECH GETS FEDERAL GRANT

Virginia Tech and the Center for Innovative Technology in Northern Virginia will receive an $8.4 million federal grant to establish a statewide manufacturing alliance to assist firms hurt by defense cutbacks.

The grant program will be a cooperative effort between the grant recipients and the Virginia Department of Economic Development, according to U.S. Sen. Charles Robb, D-Va.

The alliance will consist of a network of brokers, providers and agents that will focus on 650 small- and medium-size companies and assist more than 6,400 firms in Virginia, Robb said.

Wednesday's announcement was the fourth and final round of grants under the $472 million federal Technology Reinvestment Project created to help companies transfer defense technology into commercial markets.

Virginia businesses and schools that received earlier grants include: ITT in Roanoke, Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, MPR Associates in Alexandria, the University of Virginia and the NASA/Langley Research Center in Hampton.


Memo: ***CORRECTION***

by CNB