Alabama Governor Robert Bentley to join HudsonAlpha and local officials for groundbreaking ceremony
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Governor Robert Bentley will be on hand this morning, June 15, to acknowledge the state’s ongoing dedication to the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and expansion of the life sciences industry in Alabama. “The addition of a new facility on the Cummings Research Park Biotech Campus creates opportunities to significantly enrich the state’s knowledge worker economy,” said Bentley. Bentley will join HudsonAlpha co-founder Jim Hudson to announce construction of a third building on the campus.
According to Hudson, the institute facility, housing both non-profit researchers and for-profit businesses, is full. “We have some tenants who would like to have additional space. With the third building coming online, there is another option for them, as well as space to accommodate new organizations to the campus through the state’s economic development office,” said Hudson.
“Building three, adjacent to the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, fits well with Alabama’s long term economic development plan to attract, build and retain a vibrant life sciences industry that will enhance quality of life for citizens both inside and outside of Alabama,” said Bentley. “I am excited to be in Huntsville today to break ground on another building in this impressive complex.” The state has committed $10 million to fund the campus expansion.
According to Dr. Rick Myers, president of HudsonAlpha, the institute’s high throughput genomics and genetics infrastructure is a draw for a variety of research and development companies addressing testing, disease diagnostics and therapeutics, as well as organizations focusing on other biomedical devices and services. “These exciting new technologies are also attractive to organizations with goals to create sustainable fuels, conduct environmental remediation and enhance agricultural yields,” he added.
Site preparation work began in March. HudsonAlpha officials anticipate building completion by year’s end, providing an additional 88,000 square ft. of lab and office space on the campus. The facility will be LEED-certified. “Embracing metrics to ensure green building design, construction and maintenance is a matter of both conscience and practicality as we go forward,” said Hudson
The nonprofit HudsonAlpha Institute was first announced in 2005. The second building on the campus, the Jackson Center, opened in August of 2009.
Media Contact: Beth Pugh
bpugh@hudsonalpha.org
256-327-0443
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 problems. Its mission is three-fold: sparking scientific discoveries that can impact human health and well-being; fostering biotech entrepreneurship; 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 scientific researchers with entrepreneurs and educators. The relationships formed on the HudsonAlpha campus allow serendipity to yield results in medicine and agriculture. Since opening in 2008, HudsonAlpha, under the leadership of Dr. Richard M. Myers, a key collaborator on the Human Genome Project, has built a name for itself in genetics and genomics research and biotech education, and boasts 26 biotech companies on campus.
