The City of Marion earned one of the state’s top honors for economic innovation by being admitted to the Innovate Alabama Network and being awarded a grant as seed money to launch an innovation project. This competitive designation is awarded to Alabama communities supporting innovation and the knowledge economy.
The program is administered by Innovate Alabama, which is a statewide public- private partnership focused on entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation. The organization was formed as a result of Governor Kay Ivey’s Alabama Innovation Commission in 2021 to implement the commission’s recommendations.
The Innovate Alabama Network serves as a comprehensive resource that connects communities, nonprofits and higher education institutions across the state who are fostering innovation in their own backyard. Through this designation program, Innovate Alabama recognizes those who are shaping the state’s ecosystem.
“It’s an honor to be recognized for the work Marion is doing,” said Marion Mayor Dexter Hinton “The City of Marion is doing whatever we can to come help move the needle for our community and region. We are working together with our community partners to redefine the future of Marion, and being designated as an Innovate Alabama Network member is a major step in that direction.”
Marion’s Innovate Alabama Network designation comes with a financial award. The grant applied for and awarded will help lay the groundwork for a more connected, efficient, and forward-looking community, better equipped to meet the needs of its residents and attract further investment and development. The city plans to use these funds to develop a Smart City infrastructure to include multiple WIFI access points for public use in the town square, state of the art security cameras to enhance safety and security in the downtown area, and digital signage in city hall, in partnership with our technology partner EFP Broadband.
The Innovate Alabama Network program aims to catalyze innovation throughout the state by:
- Increasing innovationrelated activities in local communities
- Creating a broader network of innovation-related programming and assets in urban and rural areas
- Providing access to innovation- related seed funding for localities and communities
- Encouraging partnership and coordination among partners.
