GO Virginia Northern Region’s Innovation Momentum Continues: More Than $10 Million Invested in Northern Virginia’s Future Since March 2026

Northern Virginia is demonstrating what is possible when regional collaboration, higher education, industry, and workforce partners align around a shared vision for economic growth. Since March 2026, GO Virginia Region 7 has helped secure more than $10 million in strategic investments that are strengthening the region’s talent pipeline, accelerating innovation, and positioning Northern Virginia as a national leader in life sciences, advanced technology, national security, and quantum research.

In just nine months, three investments by GO Virginia Region 7 reflect a deliberate strategy to diversify Northern Virginia’s regional economy, create high-wage jobs, and build the industries that will define the next generation of growth: Future Kings’ LIFT-VA program, the launch of the National Innovation Quarter (National IQ), and the newest investment in the Virginia Quantum Hub led by George Mason University.

These three projects are creating career pathways for students, supporting entrepreneurs, helping companies scale, and ensuring that the region remains a destination for innovation and high-wage employment.

“Surpassing $10 million in grants funded within single year is a major milestone for Northern Virginia,” said Lisa Shapiro, Managing Director of GO Virginia Region 7. “Federal job losses and contract cuts have reminded us how closely Northern Virginia’s economy is tied to the ups and downs of federal spending. GO Virginia is helping our region diversify by training students for life sciences careers, helping startups turn national security technology into commercial products, and putting Northern Virginia on the cutting edge of quantum computing.”

LIFT-VA: Building Northern Virginia's Life Sciences Workforce

In March, GO Virginia awarded $2,383,000 to Future Kings, Inc.'s STEM Academy to launch the Life Sciences Innovation & Future Talent - Virginia (LIFT-VA) program. The program was designed to address one of the most pressing challenges facing Virginia's growing biotechnology and life sciences sector: developing a skilled workforce prepared to meet rapidly increasing industry demand.

LIFT-VA creates a first-of-its-kind pathway that connects students to real-world biotechnology experiences, industry-recognized credentials, workforce training, and ultimately career placement opportunities. The two-year initiative prepares students in Prince William, Manassas City, Manassas Park, and Loudoun for careers in biosciences and biomedical research through hands-on lab training, transferable college credits, and industry-recognized credentials.

“LIFT‑VA is about building a system—not a program—that takes young people from early exposure to real laboratory skills, recognized credentials, and meaningful careers. At Future Kings, we’ve proven that when students are given access, accountability, and industry‑aligned training, they excel,” said Dr. Arik King, Founder of Future Kings, Inc. “This initiative brings together education, employers, and community partners to create a durable life‑sciences talent pipeline that strengthens Virginia’s workforce and expands opportunity for generations.”

LIFT-VA is expected to deliver 150 verified job placements, 300 credentials, and an estimated $9.75 million in annual wages entering the regional economy. Read more about LIFT-VA.

National Innovation Quarter: Accelerating Company Growth and Commercialization

In June, $3,933,000 was awarded to launch the National Innovation Quarter (National IQ), NoVa's newest innovation district located in National Landing, created through a collaboration between Arlington and Alexandria. National IQ was created to address a long-standing challenge facing the region: converting its extraordinary concentration of federal expertise, technical talent, research capacity, and defense assets into more startups, commercialized technologies, and scalable companies. The initiative brings together government, industry, startups, universities, and investors to commercialize advanced technologies and strengthen Northern Virginia's innovation economy.

“From workforce development to startup acceleration and the creation of a first-of-its-kind innovation lab, National IQ is designed to tackle some of the region’s biggest challenges while positioning Northern Virginia as a national leader in emerging technologies, said Lisa Shapiro, Managing Director of GO Virginia Region 7.  “By aligning our national security assets with entrepreneurship, talent, and investment, we are building a scalable model for job creation, company growth, and long-term regional competitiveness.”

National IQ will establish a secure Innovation Lab for prototyping advanced technologies, launch a graduate-level workforce program with Virginia Tech, and deliver startup acceleration programming with partners like Fuse, Plug and Play, and Founder Institute.

Over two years, National IQ is projected to create 350 new jobs and help companies raise $100 million in follow-on capital, while positioning Northern Virginia as the nation’s premier hub for dual-use technologies including artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity, advanced hardware, autonomous systems and emerging national security innovations. Read more about National IQ.

Virginia Quantum Hub: Positioning Virginia for the Next Technology Revolution

In September, GO Virginia approved $3,684,912 to launch the Virginia Quantum Hub (VQH), led by George Mason University's Quantum Science & Engineering Center. The initiative builds upon Northern Virginia's strengths in advanced computing, defense, cybersecurity, research, and technology commercialization to establish Virginia as a leader in the rapidly emerging quantum economy.

The Hub will build a four-tier quantum workforce pipeline, including a new Quantum Technician Lab at Northern Virginia Community College's Manassas campus and Virginia's first master's program in Quantum Science and Engineering.

Over three years, VQH is expected to train more than 1,000 students and workers and place 375 people into quantum-related jobs and internships. Read more about the Virginia Quantum Hub.

“Quantum computing is exactly the kind of high-growth, high-wage industry that could benefit the Northern Virginia region,” said Lisa Roger, Chair of the GO Virginia Northern Region Council. “Five localities, three school divisions, and a coalition of industry partners all came together behind this project because they understand the importance of this initiative. The jobs and investment that come with the quantum revolution are going to land somewhere, and this grant ensures Northern Virginia doesn’t miss its moment.”

Quantum technologies are expected to transform industries ranging from national security and communications to healthcare, logistics, and advanced manufacturing. As quantum computing continues to evolve, regions that establish early leadership will be best positioned to attract future investment, talent, and business growth. By investing in quantum research, commercialization, and workforce development today, Northern Virginia is preparing to lead in one of the most strategically important technology sectors of the coming decades.

More Than Funding: Building Northern Virginia's Future

This coordinated investment by GO Virginia in Northern Virginia's future competitiveness funds projects that create pathways for students, support entrepreneurs, help companies scale, and ensure that the region remains a destination for innovation and high-wage employment.

Each of the three grants strengthens a different stage of the innovation lifecycle, from preparing high school students for bioscience careers, to helping startups move technology from concept to prototype, to building the research and workforce capacity for an industry that is just taking shape.

Combined, these projects are projected to deliver:

• 875 new jobs and job placements across life sciences, national security innovation, and quantum technology

• More than 1,400 students and workers trained

• More than 1,500 industry-recognized credentials earned

• $100 million in projected follow-on capital for Northern Virginia startups

Each of these three projects was built on strong regional collaboration, with GO Virginia funding matched by local governments, school divisions, universities, and industry partners.

“These three projects are exactly the type of collaborative, high-impact investments GO Virginia was designed to support,” said Lisa Roger, Chair of the GO Virginia Region 7 Council. “Life sciences, national security technology, and quantum computing are high-growth, high-wage industries, and these investments make sure Northern Virginia is ready to compete for the jobs that come with them.”

Together, these awards support three of Region 7's four priority industry clusters, Life Sciences, Cybersecurity, and Emerging Technologies. They also reflect the goals of the Region 7 Growth & Diversification Plan: creating high-wage jobs, strengthening the region's talent pipeline, and reducing Northern Virginia's overreliance on federal spending.

Building on a Decade of Results

This year's milestone builds on a decade of progress. Since its founding in 2016, GO Virginia Region 7 has funded 40 projects totaling $31.4 million, including these three awards. Highlights from the past ten years are featured in our Decade of Innovation post.

Have an idea for a project? Learn how to apply for GO Virginia funding or visit www.gonorthernva.com to learn more.