Federal agency awards $24.8M to Southwest and Southside manufacturing hub
The U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded about $24.8 million to the AM2 advanced manufacturing hub, with money for Virginia Tech test beds and training for 2,000 workers.
The U.S. Economic Development Administration has awarded about $24.8 million to the Additive Manufacturing and Advanced Materials hub, known as AM2, which serves Southwest and Southside Virginia. The agency announced the award Oct. 26, 2026, through its Disaster Supplemental Grant Program, which responds to damage from Hurricane Helene in September 2024.
About $16.97 million will go to AM2 Studios, led by Virginia Tech, to equip test beds for designing, prototyping and testing products made with additive manufacturing. The work will take place at Virginia Tech and at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville. Another $4.4 million, led by the institute, will fund a nationally recognized additive manufacturing credential and apprenticeship-based training. The remaining $3.41 million goes to the New River Valley Regional Commission for manufacturer outreach, industry recruitment and an innovation grants competition.
The training program aims to put 2,000 workers through apprenticeships in advanced manufacturing skills. The region has about 1,200 manufacturers employing about 60,000 people, according to Virginia Business. AM2 has more than 65 partners, including BWX Technologies in Lynchburg and Meld Manufacturing in Christiansburg.
The award adds to earlier funding. AM2 launched in 2023 with a $500,000 EDA strategy grant for a ten-year roadmap. In April 2026, GO Virginia granted $4.2 million, backed by more than $2 million in regional matching funds, to expand testing facilities and workforce programs. Shortly before the federal announcement, Meld PrintWorks announced a 12,000-square-foot additive manufacturing facility in Christiansburg's Falling Branch Corporate Park.
The grant puts federal money behind test equipment and worker training in a region of about 1,200 manufacturers and 60,000 manufacturing jobs, and it funds a separate industry-recruitment effort alongside the equipment.