RICHMOND—The Department of Housing and Community Development approved a project led by Botetourt County, in partnership with the City of Roanoke, Roanoke County, and the City of Salem, that will develop a comprehensive strategy for creating a regional AI Center of Excellence.

Region 2 consists of the cities of Covington, Lynchburg, Radford, Roanoke, and Salem and the counties of Alleghany, Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Botetourt, Campbell, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski, and Roanoke.

AI Ready Roanoke Plan

The AI Ready Roanoke planning committee is comprised of Botetourt County, Roanoke County, the City of Roanoke, the City of Salem, Virginia Tech, Radford, Roanoke College, Virginia Western, Carilion Clinic, and Google, with the support from the Roanoke Blacksburg Innovation Alliance, Roanoke Regional Partnership, Greater Roanoke Workforce Development Board, and several area manufacturers. The coalition will use GO Virginia funding to plan for ways in which the Roanoke region can prepare for AI’s effect on the local economy and prepare businesses in priority sectors. The initiative envisions a center of excellence delivered across potentially three coordinated sites and organized around three activity pillars:

  • AI adoption in priority industry sectors
  • Talent and workforce development
  • Innovation acceleration for AI-enabled startups and applied projects

This planning project directly aligns with the 2025 Virginia Chamber AI Landscape Assessment.

The project will create a case study on regional AI industry demand and use; workforce analysis and programming recommendations; and a feasibility study that will validate a proposed model for sites focused on AI adoption and innovation in Botetourt County, the City of Salem, Roanoke County, and the City of Roanoke. The project will also develop a business plan, governance framework, and sustainability model for an entity to coordinate these efforts.

The first proposed site will be located at Greenfield Industrial Park in Botetourt County and will focus on AI adoption in priority sectors and innovation acceleration. The second site will be in the Historic Salem Post Office, serving as the “front door” to AI education, literacy, and reskilling. The third site, at RoVa Labs at Carilion Clinic, will support AI adoption and innovation acceleration, specifically in using AI to accelerate the timeline from commercialization to market for drug discovery, medical devices, and more.

"AI isn’t coming, it is here, and our local economy needs to be ready both to use its advantages and to prepare for the workforce disruptions it may bring," said Kyle Rosner, director of economic development for Botetourt County. "According to the Virginia AI Landscape Assessment, 35 percent of all jobs in Virginia could be affected in some way by AI. Economic change that big calls for us to be proactive, and AI Ready Roanoke is how our region gets ahead of it."

“History is filled with many examples of disruptive change such as the industrial revolution, electrification and automation of our working world. As a society, we cannot ignore the lessons of history. Progress has never come from standing still. It has come from embracing change, managing risks responsibly, and preparing people to succeed in a new environment. The goal of this planning grant is to prepare our region for this new innovation,” said Paul Denham, chair of the GO Virginia Region 2 council.

The project received a total of $99,999 in state funds and is leveraging $157,410 in non-state sources.

Contact
John Provo
540-357-2949
jprovo@vt.edu