Huntsville, Ala. — The Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA) presented HudsonAlpha co-founder Jim Hudson and resident associate company Diatherix Laboratories with Innovation Awards at the “imerge” event Aug. 23 in Birmingham, Ala. Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman headlined the evening.
Hudson received a Lifetime Achievement in Innovation award. Equal parts scientist and businessman, his ideas have helped Alabama become a world leader in the life science and biotech industry. Hudson was also recognized for his contributions to the arts in Huntsville, particularly with Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment Center, the largest privately owned arts facility in the U.S.
“Jim Hudson’s innovative ideas have shaped the advancement of biotechnology and he is an inspiration to entrepreneurs in the state and around the world,” said Carter Wells, HudsonAlpha vice president for economic development.
The name “imerge” represents a rebranding of the EDPA’s annual conference, which celebrates innovation, entrepreneurs and startups in Alabama.
“I was honored to be amongst so many entrepreneurs at the ‘imerge’ celebration,” said Hudson, “And I am truly humbled by the Lifetime Achievement in Innovation award. I want to thank EDPA for its commitment to economic development in Alabama.”
Diatherix, located on HudsonAlpha’s campus, was honored as Corporate Innovator of the Year (large company, 50+ employees) for its groundbreaking pathogen detection technology, which enables healthcare providers to determine more accurately the cause of an infection and determine multiple infection sources.
“Diatherix is proud to be named a Corporate Innovator of the Year and join the ranks of some of the most influential minds that strengthen Alabama’s economy,” said Dennis Grimaud, chairman of Diatherix. “It’s great to have the support of organizations like EDPA as we continue to grow and build a life sciences hub in Huntsville.”
Learn more about Jim Hudson and Diatherix in the following EDPA videos.
About HudsonAlpha: HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a nonprofit institute dedicated to innovating in the field of genomic technology and sciences across a spectrum of biological challenges. Opened in 2008, its mission is four-fold: sparking scientific discoveries that can impact human health and well-being; bringing genomic medicine into clinical care; fostering life sciences entrepreneurship and business growth; and encouraging the creation of a genomics-literate workforce and society. The HudsonAlpha biotechnology campus consists of 152 acres nestled within Cummings Research Park, the nation’s second largest research park. Designed to be a hothouse of biotech economic development, HudsonAlpha’s state-of-the-art facilities co-locate nonprofit scientific researchers with entrepreneurs and educators. The relationships formed on the HudsonAlpha campus encourage collaborations that produce advances in medicine and agriculture. HudsonAlpha has become a national and international leader in genetics and genomics research and biotech education, and includes more than 30 diverse biotech companies on campus. To learn more about HudsonAlpha, visit hudsonalpha.org.
Media Contact:
Margetta Thomas
mthomas@hudsonalpha.org
256-327-0425
