Innovate Alabama is taking a major leap in strengthening the state’s innovation and entrepreneurial landscape. The public-private partnership announced the inaugural designees of the Innovate Alabama Network: 51 organizations across 17 Alabama counties will receive $9.3 million in supporting funds.
“By providing funding and resources to our local communities, nonprofits and higher education institutions, we are developing a statewide network for innovation programming and catalyzing entrepreneurship in all of our communities, both rural and urban,” said Innovate Alabama CEO Cynthia Crutchfield.
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“I’m encouraged and energized to see the overwhelming response to the Innovate Alabama Network,” said Innovate Alabama Board Chairman and Alabama State Director of Finance Bill Poole.
“We have a diverse ecosystem for innovation in Alabama, so to bring all of these partners together in one place to partner and collaborate together on moving our state forward is a move in the right direction for Alabama.”
Designees from the first round of the Innovate Alabama Network include the following communities, nonprofits and higher education institutions:
Communities:
- City of Auburn
- City of Bessemer
- City of Dothan
- City of Henagar
- City of Hoover
- City of Marion
- City of Mobile
- City of Pinson
- City of Talladega
- Shelby County
- Town of Pike Road
Nonprofits:
- Alabama Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence
- Alabama Trails Foundation
- Baldwin County Community and Economic Development Foundation
- BioAlabama
- Birmingham Bound
- Birmingham Business Alliance
- Bronze Valley Foundation
- Cordova Economic Industrial Development Authority
- Ed Farm
- Economic Development Partnership of Alabama
- Hardware Park
- HBCU Cares
- Higher Education Partnership
- Innovation Depot
- Innovation Portal
- Main Street Marion
- McWane Science Center
- Montgomery Tech Lab
- Prosper Foundation
- QIE Foundation
- REV Birmingham
- Singing River Trail
- Southern Research
- Teach2Lead
- The Alabama Collective
- The Arc of Madison County
- The E-Center
- The Overton Project
- United Way of Southwest Alabama
- Venture for America
Higher Education Institutions:
- Alabama A&M University
- Alabama State University
- Auburn Lowder Center for Family and Entrepreneurship
- Drake State Community and Technical College
- Talladega College
- Trenholm State University
- Troy University
- University of Alabama
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- University of South Alabama
Applications for the second round of the Innovate Alabama Network are already open.
