The Alliance for Building Better Medicine and the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation announced that AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, and Merck will invest $120 million to establish the Virginia Center for Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing in the Richmond-Petersburg-Charlottesville region.
The new, industry-led center will expand workforce development and training in collaboration with Virginia’s universities and community colleges to support the next generation of talent in pharmaceutical manufacturing. This investment follows $12.5 billion of recently announced capital expenditure commitments from the three companies, which are expected to create thousands of jobs across the Commonwealth in the coming years.
An official Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Richmond on October 31 by VIPC President and CEO Joe Benevento alongside leadership from the three companies, with Governor Glenn Youngkin executing the agreement. The signing was attended by senior university leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Old Dominion University, James Madison University, Hampton University, and the Virginia Community College System, reflecting a coordinated statewide approach to workforce and innovation capacity.
Central Virginia is designated as a U.S. EDA Tech Hub for Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, an initiative led by the Alliance for Building Better Medicine. Since 2020, the Alliance has collaborated with industry, government, academic, and nonprofit partners to strengthen the domestic pharmaceutical supply chain. The region is positioning itself as the only location in the country with a fully integrated ecosystem spanning research, product development, and commercial-scale production, enabling the manufacture of essential and innovative medicines domestically.
VIPC supports statewide innovation and economic development across strategic sectors, including Life Sciences, commercialization, entrepreneurship, and access to capital. The organization has spearheaded statewide programs, including Virginia’s Research Diamond, Virginia’s Lab-to-Launch, the Virginia Accelerator Network, and Virginia Invest, to strengthen research capacity, foster startup growth, and enhance industry partnerships.
The Alliance for Building Better Medicine has helped attract nearly $1.5 billion in regional investment and contributed to prior federal recognitions, including the region’s U.S. Tech Hub designation, an NSF Engines Development Award, and a U.S. Economic Development Administration Good Jobs Challenge Award. The new Center will now focus on hands-on, industry-aligned workforce preparation, including GMP-simulated training, credentialing, lab instruction, apprenticeships, and internships.
KEY QUOTES
“This moment underscores how focus and coordinated acceleration create measurable impact. Virginia’s APM ecosystem has evolved from vision to execution – an integrated community of innovators, educators, and manufacturers working with shared purpose. Together, we’re accelerating progress, building a future-proof workforce, and creating career pathways that lead to jobs which make a difference for our families, our communities, and the nation.”
Joy Polefrone, Ph.D., Regional Innovation Officer, Alliance for Building Better Medicine
“Workforce talent is an essential ingredient in cultivating a thriving innovation ecosystem. VIPC is thrilled to collaborate with industry leaders like AstraZeneca, Lilly, Merck, ecosystem partners like the Alliance for Building Better Medicine, and Virginia’s world-class university and community college institutions to grow talent, innovation, and opportunity. Virginia is leading the way in Life Sciences and Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, and we are accelerating growth together through the power of collaboration and innovation.”
Joe Benevento, President and CEO, Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation
“This moment reflects the power of partnership at its best: public and private sectors coming together to build better medicine, create meaningful careers, and strengthen the supply chain infrastructure that serves us all. This transformative investment embodies the mission that has guided the Alliance since its formation and represents the type of momentum we set out to create as a region just five years ago. Together, we are building better medicine.”
Robby Demeria, Founding Board Chair, Alliance for Building Better Medicine; Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Phlow Corp.
