Flinn Foundation Press Room

Biosciences By the Numbers

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Through Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap, the annual progress of the state’s bioscience initiative is being closely gauged in areas such as job and firm creation, federal research-grant funding, and venture-capital investment. Below are popular statistical questions and answers drawing from the latest data in Battelle's annual metrics update.

  • How many Arizonans work in the biosciences?

    Including hospitals, which are part of Arizona’s bioscience definition, 99,018 individuals worked in the biosciences in 2011, the most recent year for which full data is available. With hospitals excluded, the number was 17,163 working in drugs, pharmaceuticals, and diagnostics; research and testing; medical devices and equipment; and agricultural feedstock and chemicals.

  • What do they earn?

    In 2011 in Arizona, bioscience jobs averaged $56,328 in annual wages compared to the total private-sector average of $44,098, or 28% higher.  Research, testing, and medical labs lead the way at $62,193.

  • How many bioscience companies does Arizona have?

    892 in 2011.

  • How fast is Arizona’s bioscience sector growing?

    From 2002 to 2011, Arizona's bioscience industry jobs grew by 45%, compared to 12% for the nation as a whole.  Excluding hospitals, the industry grew by 58%, compared to 5% for the nation.  Bio firms in Arizona increased 31% during the same period, compared to 23% for the nation.  These figures do not include bioscience-specific jobs at independent research institutes or universities.

  • How does Arizona fare in getting NIH grants?

    Arizona received $174 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health in 2012. This represents a 19% increase over the amount in 2002, when Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap was launched, compared to 18% growth for the nation. The state’s goal is to match or exceed the growth rate of the nation’s top-10 funded states. Although Arizona had met this goal throughout most of the past decade, a dip in Arizona's 2012 NIH funding brought the state below the growth rate of the top-10 states of 31% for 2002-2012.

  • How about venture capital?

    In 2012, Arizona bioscience firms attracted $22 million in venture-capital funding. This is the lowest level since 2009 and well below the banner year of 2002, which exceeded $100 million.  Venture capital has diminished in Arizona and nationally, especially during and following the Great Recession.  The state received 0.25% of the nation's venture capital pool in 2012.

  • How have Arizona's universities performed on bioscience tech-transfer measures?

    From 2002 to 2012, involving the biosciences, Arizona's state universities have been issued 180 patents, executed 304 licenses and options, received adjusted gross income of $18.9 million, and spun off 67 startup firms.

Source: Battelle

For more information:

Flinn Foundation: www.flinn.org
Arizona's Bioscience Roadmap: www.flinn.org/bio-roadmap