Bridges: An NSF Engine

09/29/2026

BRIDGES has officially launched! 🚀

Last week, 85 partners from across the region gathered at HudsonAlpha for our All-Hands Kick-Off. Over two days, our seven working groups (Crops, Automotive, Packaging, Construction Materials, Commercialization, Workforce & Community Engagement, and Economics & Sustainability) mapped out their plans. Then cross-sector teams talked through what success should look like in 5 and 10 years.

The shared vision: new markets that keep farms farming, biobased products industry actually wants, and good jobs that stay in our region.

We celebrated under the Saturn V at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Fitting place to launch BRIDGES.

Thank you to everyone who made it a success. Let's build!

Auburn University, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, National Science Foundation (NSF)

09/18/2026

Another great LaunchTN 3686 is in the books! Nashville was packed this week with entrepreneurs, investors, new tech, success stories and more! BRIDGES was well represented by partners at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Community Equity Partners, LaunchTN, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, National Science Foundation (NSF), University of Tennessee Research Foundation - UTRF, and AGgrow Tech.

A huge thank you to LaunchTN for featuring BRIDGES with its own panel presentation. Engine CEO Sam Jackson, Travis Hedrick, Joda Thongnopnua, and Deborah Crawford provided great insights to Engines program and BRIDGES specifically. Lots of new connections were made!

08/27/2026

WLRH Radio in Huntsville featured a great interview with BRIDGES CEO Sam Jackson that talks about the BRIDGES mission and what the initiative will mean to our region! Thank you WLRH 89.3 FM/HD!

https://wlrh.org/episode/from-plants-to-products-the-bridges-program/

HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology

Public Radio for the Tennessee Valley

08/25/2026

We appreciate the great article that the Dothan Eagle published this past weekend highlighting our NSF Engine and its potential impact on the region!

HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology Wiregrass

Here's how the multi-million-dollar grant awarded to HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and its innovative project will impact the Wiregrass.

08/19/2026

What at Night! Our event Southern Solutions: Plant Science as an Economic Engine in Huntsville, AL was fantastic! Nearly 300 people came out to hear from our keynote speaker, Zara Summers of LanzaTech and from Engine partners Derek Saltzman, of Soarce and Rob Tripp of Poulterra Inc., along with Engine CEO Sam Jackson. The amazing keynote presentation and engaging discussions introduced new ideas, products, and potential impacts of BRIDGES to the attendees! Thank you to our event sponsors at the EKTA Foundation and JPMorganChase for supporting this outstanding event!

HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology

08/17/2026

BRIDGES was proud to participate in the Wiregrass Innovation Center's event with Auburn University, the Alabama Farmers Federation, and HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology Wiregrass leadership as well as a variety of collaborators from across the Wiregrass region. In addition to a great roundtable discussion, the group met with entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders to learn about the great things going on in the region!

08/11/2026

BRIDGES is hiring!

What if the switchgrass growing in a field became the dashboard in your car, the insulation in your walls, or the packaging on your doorstep?
That's the future the BRIDGES Engine is building. We are an NSF Regional Innovation Engine turning plant-based agricultural crops into materials for the construction, automotive, and packaging industries. The goal is a circular economy that diversifies farmer income, onshores manufacturing, and creates skilled manufacturing jobs across Alabama and Tennessee.

We've been awarded the opportunity and now we're hiring the team to implement the Engine! Four roles in BRIDGES leadership are now posted:

🔹 Director of Operations
🔹 Director of Strategic Partnerships
🔹 Manager of Grants and Contracts
🔹 Manager, Marketing and Communications

If you want your work to matter to growers, to rural communities, and to the industries that depend on them, this is the opportunity for you!

Apply: https://www.bridgesengine.org/careers/

08/08/2026

Learn more about BRIDGES and its impacts on agriculture, byproducts, and beyond!

07/24/2026

It was a great day representing the BRIDGES NSF Engine at the 34th Milan No-Till Field Day, organized by the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. Over 1,300 people representing producers, researchers, Extension, and government agencies, among others, gained knowledge on the latest developments and innovation in agriculture! National Science Foundation (NSF) HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology