House panel approves $950K for biotech project

The Hudson-Alpha Institute for Biotechnology may receive $950,000 from Congress after the U.S. House Appropriations Committee approved the money for continued development of the institute.

U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer, D-Huntsville, said the money would help the institute play a "significant role in the biotechnology industry.''

The institute, announced last August, has $80 million in private investment and a $50 million commitment from the state of Alabama. Huntsville biotech pioneer Jim Hudson is the leader of the project and the institute's president.

Construction of the main 260,000-square-foot building is slated for completion next summer.

Hudson's vision for the institute would combine a nonprofit research center and a collaborative environment with for-profit biotech companies.

The companies would be positioned to use the research to spin off biomedical developments and other products.

Cramer's office reported that this is the third appropriation he has secured for the institute since last year. There was a $750,000 appropriation for law enforcement tools development and a $450,000 appropriation for facilities and equipment.