BIRMINGHAM — 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.
“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.
