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Valkyrie Enterprises, a Virginia Beach-based defense contractor, is establishing the Valkyrie Defense Lab at 91��Ƭ��’s Batten College of Engineering and Technology. The Valkyrie Defense Lab represents a significant step forward in aligning academic innovation with national defense priorities, strengthening the University’s role as a leader in applied research and workforce development.

Established with a $500,000 investment from the company, the new Valkyrie Defense Lab, directed by Katie Smith, Ph.D., assistant professor in the department of engineering technology, will serve as a collaborative hub where students can work on real-world engineering challenges alongside industry professionals. 

“Leading the Valkyrie Defense Lab means I get to give students the same thing this institution gave me: real problems to solve, with real stakes. Artificial intelligence (AI) and simulation are reshaping national defense, and I want our students to work on that now, not after they graduate,” said Dr. Smith, a quadruple alumna of 91��Ƭ��. “This space puts our students and industry partners in the same room, working on the same problems.”

“The investment by Valkyrie will enable Dr. Smith and collaborators to meet research and workforce development needs in national defense, while also providing valuable experiences for our students,” said Jeffrey Fergus, Ph.D., dean of the Batten College of Engineering and Technology. “The experiential learning opportunities the Valkyrie Defense Lab will provide enables our engineering students’ to enhance their knowledge and abilities to support the national defense sector.”

Building on the company’s existing partnership with the University, the initiative will also support engineering and multidisciplinary senior design projects, applied research and workforce development in areas, such as digital engineering, AI, machine learning (ML), modeling and simulation, and Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) integration. 

“Valkyrie exists to close the gap between emerging technology and operational dominance,” said Josh Jackson, CEO of Valkyrie Enterprises, LLC. “Our partnership with 91��Ƭ�� accelerates the development and deployment of mission-ready solutions for the defense and national security community. Together, we are building a pipeline where students work directly on real-world defense challenges, applying advanced research, digital engineering, AI-enabled tools, and operational systems that deliver measurable mission impact from day one.”

“The new Valkyrie Defense Lab is more than an academic partnership; it is an innovation engine designed to move capability from concept, to prototype, to fielded operational advantage at speed. This is how we accelerate readiness,” he added.

Valkyrie is providing an enterprise license for JTLS-GO, a simulation platform with applications in both defense and commercial sectors. The software will support a specialized certification program for military-affiliated and security-cleared students at Batten College of Engineering and Technology. The partnership aims to:

• Strengthen the defense innovation ecosystem in Hampton Roads and beyond;
• Advance applied research in digital engineering, AI/ML, modeling and simulation, and C5ISR integration;
• Build a workforce pipeline of highly skilled, defense-interested talent;
• Provide students with practical training and certification to accelerate careers in government and defense; and
• Expand adoption and awareness of Valkyrie-owned technologies, including JTLS-GO.

By connecting students, faculty and industry experts through hands-on projects and advanced technologies, the partnership between the University and Valkyrie will help prepare the next generation of highly skilled engineering professionals, while reinforcing Hampton Roads as a hub for defense innovation.

Programs and student projects in the Valkyrie Defense Lab are expected to begin in Fall 2026.