December 17: GMU Nanotech Workforce Training

GMU receiving $3.75M to grow Virginia’s nanotech industry is one of the many gifts of Loudoun this holiday season. This is one story in a series of 31 that highlight #LoudounPossible opportunities in the county. Check back every day in December to learn more!

Nanotechnology is a globally growing industry. According to Emergen Research, the current market size of $2.4B is projected to reach $33.63B by 2030. With such rapid growth – especially here in Northern Virginia – and limited resources for the industry’s workforce and startups, one Virginia university launched an initiative to support the needed talent pathway. Thanks to $3.75M in grants, George Mason University, with a location in Sterling, launched Nano-IMAGINE, a workforce training and startup support program.

The institution received $2.5M Go Virginia Region 7 and the remaining $1.25M came from a mix of private and public partnerships.

In its second year, the program will serve 125 workforce readiness students, which will include associate degree, undergraduate, and graduate students, as well as an educational boot camp for high school students. By the third year, the goal is to support 185 trained workers ready to enter the nanotech job market. “As the U.S. moves to reestablish its global leadership in micro- and nano-electronics, having a sizable workforce able to design and fabricate electronic chips is vital,” said Ken Ball, dean of George Mason University’s college of engineering and computing. “Nano-IMAGINE is an important element of the commonwealth’s efforts to build that workforce.”

Nano-IMAGINE is a joint effort led by Mason’s college of engineering and computing, college of science, and the office of research, innovation, and economic impact.

Learn more about Nano-IMAGINE here.