The Birmingham Biotechnology Hub, driven by Southern Research, has secured a $44 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) to position Alabama as a global leader in biotechnology.
The grant will support projects advancing drug, vaccine, and diagnostic development using artificial intelligence-driven biotechnology. It will serve both healthcare innovation and national security.
U.S. Senator Katie Britt, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, Governor Kay Ivey, and Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin penned a joint column arguing for the investment into the Magic City.
“This $44 million for the Birmingham Biotechnology Hub will benefit not just our state but our nation. Investing in a Birmingham-based Tech Hub dedicated to the bioeconomy will promote domestic supply chains for critical medicines while spurring potentially life-saving innovation,” Sen. Britt (R-Montgomery) said on Tuesday.
“Birmingham is uniquely situated to be a national leader in advancing groundbreaking diagnostics and therapeutics because of our skilled workforce and our state’s pro-jobs environment.”
The grant will support implementation of projects that include:
- Creating a first-of-its-kind genomic biobank that enables accessible precision medicine to improve public health outcomes, accelerate drug development, foster substantial clinical trial investment, and anchor the national bioeconomy by leveraging trusted relationships to connect patient genomes, other forms of personalized medical data, and clinical data to drive clinical trial representation in Black and rural communities;
- Establishing a backbone organization to anchor and develop Alabama’s first Innovation District, ensuring mission alignment between diverse stakeholders and evaluating progress, implementing nimble and responsive risk management protocols to safeguard intellectual property and patient health information, and continuing to raise additional partnerships and capital for the Hub;
- Connecting industry, scientific experts, and regulators to advance the maturation and validation of Therapeutics Acceleration Platforms (TAPs) which will accelerate the development of new precision medicines, drug repurposing, technologies for predictive safety testing, and enhance U.S. global competitiveness in the biotechnology industry;
- Designing, testing, and refining a series of sub-baccalaureate workforce training programs that will place target populations in quality biotechnology jobs over the next five years based on clear, employer-driven workforce training priorities for biotech jobs in the region; and
- Forming a multi-HBCU workforce training collaboration to rapidly expand access to a large suite of micro-credentials coupled with in-person, work-based learning opportunities within the biotech sector.
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“This award is a big victory for the City of Birmingham and the entire State of Alabama!” Rep. Sewell (D-Birmingham) said. “Not only will it ensure that Birmingham remains a leader in the biotechnology sector, but it will also help us make strides toward greater representation for African Americans and other minority communities in clinical trials. Hats off to Southern Research, UAB, and the City of Birmingham for the many years of hard work and collaboration that made this announcement possible.”
According to officials, the grant will stimulate job creation and workforce development programs to create talent pipelines and close gaps in Alabama’s healthcare workforce across the state.
Birmingham-based expert scientists are national leaders in oncology, precision medicine, population health, and infectious disease, a unique asset for a Tech Hub based in the Birmingham region. Institutions like the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Tuskegee University are also partnering with Southern Research to drive biomedical innovation across the state. The Birmingham region overall invests significantly into research on scale with larger areas like San Diego, San Francisco, and Philadelphia on a per capita basis.
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
