Economic Impact of Health Research

Investment: Funding sources for overall research and development (2004)

Source of R&D Funding Investment State Rank
Federal Government$165,400,000 45
Industry $269,300,000 39
Universities $24,900,000 45
Non-profit $8,300,000 37
Other * $45,400,000 25
Total $514,400,000 45

* Other represents funding from state and local governments and funding for Federally Funded Research and Development Centers from non-federal sources.

Source: National Science Foundation, National Patterns of R&D Resources , 2006


Economic Impact: Statistics for research-driven health industries (2004)

Industry Employment Annual Salary
Pharmaceutical 128 $33,279
Medical Device 2,641 $31,922
Research, Testing, and Laboratories 1,251 $43,363
Overall Private Sector  $29,791

Source: Battelle Memorial Institute and Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), Growing the Nation's Biotech Sector: State Bioscience Inititives 2006


Highlights from local economic impact studies

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and its affiliates have an economic impact of about $4.4 billion per year to the state of Arkansas and employ about 9,000 employees.

Between 2001 and 2006, the Arkansas Biosciences Institute received $53 million in research funding from tobacco settlements and leveraged an additional $135.8 million in extramural grants. That corresponds to a return of $2.50 for each dollar of investment.

According to a report from BIO and Battelle, two new research facilities were opened recently: (1) a $25 million, 140,000-squarefoot Biomedical Research Center at UAMS and (2) a $20 million, 88,000-squarefoot laboratory at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

The Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy has an economic impact of $166 million on the state economy and supports 1,343 full-time Arkansas jobs.