Prior to the GEICO 500, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace took the stage at Talladega Superspeedway alongside retired NASA astronaut Leland Melvin, commercial astronaut Dr. Sian Proctor, and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Vice President Brian Talbot. The eclectic panel’s purpose? Promoting the Space4All STEM Awareness Campaign, a public-private partnership aimed at “igniting interest in future […]

As EVs and charging stations become more common in Alabama and across the nation, there is a need for first responders to be better equipped and prepared to respond to emergencies involving EVs and, more specifically, lithium-ion batteries. The Alabama Fire College is working to ensure that first and second responders in Alabama are trained on how to properly […]

On Thursday, Governor Kay Ivey announced that technology giant Meta Platforms plans to open an $800 million data center in Alabama’s capital city that will support 100 operational jobs and build on the company’s previous investment in the state. The new 715,000-square-foot, AI-optimized data center will be built off Interstate 65 in Montgomery, across from […]

Alabama is a great place to do business, but we can be even better by helping employers address what they continually describe as their biggest challenge: finding workers with the right skills to get the job done. Businesses can’t thrive and grow if they can’t find qualified workers. Individuals can’t thrive without good jobs that […]

Alabama is on the map of the most innovative companies in America — thanks to Regions Bank. This week, FORTUNE magazine recognized a slate of 200 companies in the second-annual installment of their America’s Most Innovative Companies list for 2024. In the ranking analysis and selection, FORTUNE and Statista evaluated three core pillars: Product innovation, process […]

Auburn University’s McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security was awarded a $10 million Department of Energy grant in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to create a pilot regional cybersecurity research and operations center to protect the electric power grid against cyberattacks. The total value of the project is $12.5 million, with the […]

Innovate Alabama has announced recipients for the fourth round of the Innovate Alabama Supplemental Grant Program, awarding nearly $4 million to 22 small businesses. 17 of the 22 recipients are currently based in Alabama and received an average of more than $175,000. For the first time, the Supplemental Grant Program has expanded beyond the borders […]

Last week, over 200 advocates gathered in Montgomery to ask the State Legislature to address public policy concerns and opportunities around childcare in Alabama. Alabama has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the entire nation — but it also maintains one of the lowest workforce participation rates in the nation. One primary reason a […]

Governor Kay Ivey announced on Monday that the State Industrial Development Authority (SIDA) has approved over $30 million in grants under the new Site Evaluation and Economic Development Strategy Act (SEEDS) to speed the development of much-needed industry-ready sites across the state, according to her office. A key portion of the “Game Plan” package of […]

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced the creation a task force to recommend policies and promote responsible use of of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in state government and executive branch agencies. “The state of Alabama is a pioneer in the development and use of advanced technologies, from manufacturing nanotechnology to empowering mankind to walk on the […]

Alabama Commerce Secretary Ellen McNair has been on the job for barely a month but is already at work on a strategic plan that will shape economic development in the state for years to come. McNair, formerly the chief economic development officer at the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, took the helm at the Alabama Department of […]

Researchers at the University of Alabama in Huntsville have designed a wearable biosensor that offers a new way to measure human muscle activation to potentially prevent injuries and enhance athletic performance. The design is built around a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), a device that converts mechanical or thermal energy into electricity for wearable electronics, that will […]

Major improvements are coming to downtown Alexander City's water lines thanks to a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant, Gov. Kay Ivey announced Wednesday. The grant will be combined with additional funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission to complete the task.

More than $40 million in state transportation funding has been set aside for 26 projects  that will be focused on improving Alabama's roads and bridges, Governor Kay Ivey announced Tuesday. The funding will be dispensed to various cities and counties throughout the state. The projects are all slated begin in 2024.

What was once a condemned, otherwise vacant eyesore of a building at the corner of Wynn Drive and Bradford is now a unique and vibrant educational facility that has quickly become a source of pride among city and state movers and shakers. The Alabama School for Cyber, Technology, and Engineering drew dignitaries, luminaries and a […]

LiTHOS has applied for a $30 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to upgrade its 55,000 square-foot plant in Bessemer to produce lithium hydroxide and create hundreds of jobs, the Canada-based company announced. Lithium is among one of the world’s most in-demand metals due to aggressive ambitious electrification efforts to limit CO2 emissions, […]

Alabama's Coden Shipyard, a small, family-owned property, was the construction site of the first fully electric ship assist harbor tug boat ever produced within the United States.

Southern Research, a Birmingham based non-profit organization, has announced that it has officially opened its much anticipated Station 41 biotech incubator. The incubator, which will provide office space, wet lab space, shared lab equipment,

Eco Material Technologies, the leading producer of sustainable cementitious materials and near-zero carbon cement replacement products in North America, has announced a new partnership with Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company.

Infirmary Health of Mobile is partnering with UAB Health Systems to expand cancer care options for patients in the Gulf Coast area. Now an affiliate of UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, Infirmary Health will allow patients in Mobile and Baldwin Counties to receive the care that they need without having to travel to Birmingham. With […]

Through a partnership between the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority, the University of Alabama, and the most active pre-seed investor in the world, Techstar, Tuscaloosa will now have a new, first of its kind hydrologic innovation-focused accelerator and pre-accelerator program.

“There is a seat at the table for you.”  That’s what Lisa DeVine wants all young women coming up to know.   With a 20-year career as an Army officer behind her, including a stint as a paratrooper, DeVine, vice president of Program Integration at Leidos Dynetics, has been seated at tables many of us might […]

Cynthia Crutchfield leads Alabama’s first statewide public-private partnership focused on entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation with a mission to help innovators grow roots. The Montgomery native may be at the top of her career but it’s only the beginning for her time as CEO of Innovate Alabama.  After just one year, Crutchfield and her team are […]

Ashley Robinett’s appreciation of community and collaboration has led to a career of tangible impact.  When looking to the early moments that shaped her interest in her field, she is drawn to the memory of her late high school calculus teacher, Bev Wilkin. “She saw something in me that I, quite frankly, didn’t see myself,” […]