The MITRE Corp., a federally funded R&D company, has established a regional innovation hub in Huntsville called the iHub.
The iHub, which is located at the Redstone Gateway Conference Center, aims to grow work for the U.S. government, expand involvement with local universities and schools and deepen the company's engagement with the local community.
MITRE Huntsville delivers solutions for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of Justice and public health entities. MITRE has had a presence in the Rocket City since the 1970’s in support of NASA and the U.S. Army. The company opened its first local site in 1982 and has more than 125 staff in the area.
“While MITRE has dual headquarters outside of Washington, DC, and Boston and over 55 U.S. sites, our philosophy is that innovation sits at the intersection of inclusion, diversity and belonging, and talent is everywhere,” said Julie Gravallese, MITRE vice president for workplace innovation. “Our Huntsville iHub will help us identify and recruit exceptional local talent.”
iHub has already established partnerships in the Huntsville area, including the University of Alabama Huntsville, which it developed a new biosecurity initiative with, and Alabama A&M University, which it developed a collaborative initiative with to strengthen high school and college students’ interest in national security careers.
“From national security to space and beyond, we’re passionate about creating mutually beneficial partnerships with the academic and industry communities that add value to the critical mission landscape in our region,” said Kim Shepard, MITRE Huntsville iHub leader.
