Economic Impact of Health Research

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

Source of R&D Funding Investment State Rank
Federal Government $167,800,000 44
Industry $397,900,000 34
Universities $142,100,000 18
Non-profit $19,800,000 31
Other * $12,100,000 37
Total $739,700,000 39

* 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 2,005 $51,766
Medical Device 3,894 $39,365
Research, Testing, and Laboratories 1,862 $55,402
Overall Private Sector  $31,053

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

During FY 2004-2005, The University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Nebraska Medical Center had a $1.5 billion economic impact on the state and supported 17,100 jobs. Every dollar invested by the state returned $14.

In 2005, UNMC received $72.5 million in research funding from external sources. Research activities at UNMC and the Nebraska Medical Center had an economic impact of $120 million and supported 1,500 positions in Nebraska.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha had an annual economic impact of $2.14 billion in 2005-2006.