Economic Impact of Health Research
Investment: Funding sources for overall research and development (2007)
| Source of R&D Funding | Investment | State Rank |
| Federal Government | $2,225,000,000 | 15 |
| Industry | $870,000,000 | 31 |
| Universities | $152,000,000 | 19 |
| Non-profit | $26,000,000 | 30 |
| Other * | $17,000,000 | 39 |
| Total | $3,289,000,000 | 27 |
* 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, 2008
Population (2008)
| Residents | State Rank | |
| Population, July 1, 2008 | 4,677,464 | 23 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Population Estimates, 2009
Economic Impact: Statistics for research-driven health industries (2008)
| Industry | Employment | Annual Salary |
| Pharmaceutical | 783 | $51,043 |
| Medical Device | 2,779 | $38,363 |
| Research, Testing, and Laboratories | 3,783 | $56,085 |
| Overall Private Sector | 1,570,232 | $37,772 |
Source: Battelle and Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), BIO State Bioscience Initiatives, 2010
Highlights from local economic impact studies
A 2007 study by FamiliesUSA, In Your Own Backyard, shows that NIH funding for Alabama generated $614,000,000 of business activity and 4,798 new jobs. The report also highlights why global health matters to Alabama.
The Association of American Medical Colleges reports that the member medical schools and teaching hospitals in Alabama had a combined economic impact of $5.2 billion and a total employment impact of 33,626 in 2008.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham has an economic impact of more than $3 billion on the Birmingham metro area and accounts for 52,900 local jobs.
According to a report from BIO and Battelle, The Cumming Research Park is creating a Biotech Campus which will house the Hudson-Alpha Institute for Biotechnology. This new institute is expected to employ 500-600 by 2008 and up to 1,600 in 10 years.
