Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Monday signed four bills into law that establish four manufacturing grant funds to support projects valued at nearly $7.1 billion in the state.
The legislation will fund upcoming facilities from Avio USA, Hitachi Energy, Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca and create about 3,250 jobs, according to the press release.
“Attracting new businesses and jobs to Virginia is a core focus of my administration — and I’m proud of the hundreds of millions of dollars in investment we have already announced this year,” Spanberger said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to work with legislators, local communities, and business leaders as we make clear that Virginia is the top state in the nation to grow or start a business.”
Here are the four manufacturing companies that will get funding for their projects.
Avio USA
- Investment: $537.6 million
- Project location: Hurt, Virginia
- Number of jobs: 1,546
- Grant program established: Solid Rocket Motor Manufacturing Grant Fund
- Funding amount: Not to exceed $97.7 million
Italy-based Avio announced in December 2025 that it had selected Virginia to establish an 860,000-square-foot manufacturing facility that will produce solid rocket motors for defense, tactical propulsion, missile systems and the commercial space sectors.
The new grant program will provide Avio grant installments of up to $6 million per fiscal year from July 1, 2027, to July 1, 2046.
“We are grateful to the Commonwealth of Virginia and Pittsylvania County for their partnership in advancing this strategic investment, which expands Avio USA’s manufacturing footprint and directly supports the Department of War’s effort to significantly ramp missile production,” CEO James Syring said in a Feb. 23 statement.
Hitachi Energy
- Investment: $457.2 million
- Project location: South Boston, Virginia
- Number of jobs: 825
- Grant program established: Power Transformer Manufacturing Grant Fund
- Funding amount: Not to exceed $29.4 million
Hitachi Energy announced in September 2025 that it plans to build a facility alongside its existing manufacturing campus. The new plant will produce large power transformers that support applications such as high-voltage transmission, power generation, artificial intelligence-powered data centers and large-scale industrial applications.
The grant program will provide Hitachi Energy with installments of up to $4.6 million per fiscal year from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2035.
Eli Lilly
- Investment: $2.2 billion
- Project location: Goochland, Virginia
- Number of jobs: 468
- Grant program established: Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Manufacturing Grant Fund
- Funding amount: Not to exceed $130 million
Eli Lilly pledged in September 2025 to invest $5 billion to build a manufacturing facility outside Richmond. The upcoming plant will manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients for cancer, autoimmune and other advanced therapies.
The grant program will provide Eli Lilly with up to $15 million in installments per fiscal year from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2045.
AstraZeneca
- Investment: $4 billion
- Project location: Charlottesville
- Number of jobs: Up to 500
- Grant program established: Pharmaceutical Substance Manufacturing Grant Fund
- Funding amount: Not to exceed $191.3 million
In October 2025, AstraZeneca announced it was spending $4.5 billion, including a proposed $500 million increase, to build a facility to manufacture medications for chronic diseases and antibody-drug conjugates.
The grant program will provide AstraZeneca grant installments of up to $34 million per fiscal year from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2045.
