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U.S. Senator Katie Britt, R-Ala. on Tuesday celebrated a $44 million investment into the Birmingham Biotechnology Hub led by the Southern Research Institute. The grant is distributed by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration as a part of its Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs) Program. The EDA Tech Hubs Program’s mission is to enhance global competitiveness, support local manufacturing capacity, and administer quality job creation in the United States.
“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. 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. I appreciate the leadership of Secretary Gina Raimondo in making this selection and the partnership of Governor Ivey, Congresswoman Sewell, and Mayor Woodfin in advocating for this award. This is an important investment into our state and our nation’s futures,” said Senator Britt.
The Birmingham Biotechnology Hub received this award with additional funding for the Tech Hubs Program through the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which Senator Britt supported.
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.
Senator Britt penned a joint column with U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., Governor Kay Ivey, R-Ala., and Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin arguing for the investment into the Magic City. They outlined how it is an opportunity for health care innovation and bolstered national security.
The Senator also penned a letter to the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for EDA, Alejandra Castillo, and Regional Director of the U.S. EDA H. Philip Paradice Jr. supporting EDA’s Tech Hubs Program in Birmingham. Her letter is available here.
