Biotech center set to get more federal help

Cramer secures $325,000 for construction

The Hudson-Alpha Institute for Biotechnology, which is under construction and set to open in Huntsville this fall, is in line to receive $325,000 in federal funding, U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer said Friday.

The institute, which will combine a private nonprofit research lab and provide home for 10 for-profit biotech companies, is scheduled to open in November. The institute's funding included $50 million from the state and $80 million in private contributions.

The facility also received $750,000 in federal money in the fiscal 2006 budget.

Jim Hudson, who hailed Cramer's "long-held commitment to biotechnology," said the $325,000 would be used for construction of the institute's primary facility, which will be in Cummings Research Park.

"We're a step closer to providing needed funding to help North Alabama become a leader in the field of biotechnology," Cramer, D-Huntsville, said in a news release.

The funding must be approved by the full U.S. House.