It’s not always easy to spot Alabama on a map, but it’s hard to overlook the impact Alabama’s bioscience sector has had on our state’s reputation, economic development, and the lives of everyone it’s touched.
Beyond cutting-edge research and technology, one of the most notable achievements of the bioscience sector is the high level of employment that it has created. Nearly 18,000 Alabamians are employed in life science or biotechnology jobs, with average annual income topping $67,000.
Pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing is expanding across the state. In Birmingham, Evonik has established an advanced biomaterials manufacturing facility with R&D capabilities. In Auburn, SiO2 Materials Science launched a $122 million expansion project at a facility that produces its patented vials for COVID-19 vaccine programs.
The sector is growing, with $236 million in new private-sector investment during 2021 and 2022, creating over 740 jobs.
Read BioAlabama’s 2020 Economic Development Roadmap.
Quick Facts
- 780 bioscience companies
- 50 medical device companies
- $7.3 billion annual economic impact
- NIH funding to Alabama organizations topped $385 million in 2022
- 18,000 employed in bioscience
- 576 bioscience patents awarded, 2016-2019
- Southern Research discovered 7 FDA-approved anticancer drugs
- Alabama Drug Discovery Alliance has 12 potential drugs in pipeline
- Multiple teaching hospitals across the state
Bioscience Companies/Organizations
- Alabama Drug Discovery Alliance (ADDA)
- Acclinate Genetics
- Avanti Polar Lipids
- Blondin Bioscience
- CFD Research Corp.
- Discovery BioMed
- Evonik Industries
- Folio Conversant
- GeneCapture
- H2 Pharma
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
- iCubate
- iXpressGenes
- Kowa Pharmaceuticals
- Nektar Therapeutics Alabama
- Oxford Pharmaceuticals
- Pharmavite (Nature’s Made)
- SiO2 Materials Science
- Soluble Therapeutics
- SouthernBiotech
- Southern Research
- UAB
- UAH
- USA Mitchell Cancer Center
