The U.S. Department of Commerce is making a six-figure investment in Birmingham with the goal of spurring the region's bioscience job growth.
An effort led by the Birmingham Business Alliance, in partnership with Jefferson and Shelby counties, to spark job growth in bioscience in the seven-county region has been awarded a federal grant of $450,000.
The U.S Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) Disaster Recovery Program has awarded the funds for the execution of a bioscience market intelligence study, strategy and implementation plan that will be led by the Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA).
The plan will aim to identify key bioscience assets as well as opportunities for growth and investment. The study will identify opportunities for existing bioscience businesses to grow capacity. It will also look for opportunities for economic developers and communities to attract bioscience businesses.
“We are seizing a perfect opportunity to build on the national attention Birmingham received during the pandemic,” said Ron Kitchens, CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance. “Based on the role the University of Alabama at Birmingham played in building a Covid-19 treatment and on the work of local companies like BioGX around testing, we will create a comprehensive plan for our region to work with bioscience companies to address the immediate needs of a post-pandemic world and grow jobs as a result.”
The grant application was led by the BBA, Jefferson County Commission, Shelby County Commission and 58 Inc. According to the BBA, the grant was pursued on behalf of 45 economic development officials across the region, with nearly 20 key stakeholders providing letters of support.
By the end of 2021, the BBA and partners will convene stakeholders to publish a Request for Proposal and select a consultant to begin the work.
The project is funded under the CARES Act.
