The Controlled Environment Agriculture Innovation Center (CEAIC) is a transdisciplinary center developed and managed by the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Virginia Tech and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR). The CEAIC is located at IALR and has greenhouse- and indoor vertical-based research facilities equipped with various hydroponic and soilless production systems including nutrient film technique, strawberry gutters, dutch buckets and aquaponic systems. Research facilities are outfitted to control, monitor and record environmental parameters such as temperature, light, humidity, airflow and CO2 concentration. The CEAIC has several analytical labs as well as an engineering lab to support research activities. Currently, research is focused in the areas of new crops development, waste water processing and use, optical sensing, beneficial endophytes and microbiome of tank solutions. Future programming will also incorporate aquaponics. In addition to helping solve problems and create opportunities for the CEA industry, the CEAIC was designed to work closely with industry partners and to develop CEA as an economic development engine. As such, numerous projects are conducted in collaboration with CEA industry partners and the CEAIC
is active in extension and work force training.