Archived Awards Content
Awards issued prior to 2025 represent actions taken during previous administrations and do not necessarily reflect current investment priorities.
Birmingham Biotechnology Hub
Lead Agency: Southern Research Institute
State Served: Alabama
Applicant-Defined Region: Birmingham–Hoover MSA with statewide partnerships
Core Technology Area: AI-driven biotechnology
Contact: Dr. Kathy Nugent ([email protected])
Media Contact: Dr. Kathy Nugent ([email protected])
The Birmingham Biotechnology Hub, led by Southern Research Institute, aims to become a global leader in drug, vaccine, and diagnostics development by applying artificial intelligence (AI)-driven biotechnology to increasing representation in clinical genomic data and clinical trials. This Tech Hub will leverage the region’s existing assets—including the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s world-leading data bank—to increasing representation in clinical genomic data and clinical trials and accelerate drug discovery and development. By applying the power of artificial intelligence and more globally representative patient data, the Birmingham Biotechnology Hub seeks to shorten the drug development pipeline and deliver affordable drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics.
The Birmingham Biotechnology Hub seeks to increase the efficacy of biotechnological products for a wider share of the global population.
This consortium plans to:
- create 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;
- establish backbone organization to anchor and develop Alabama’s first Innovation District, ensuring mission alignment between 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;
- connect 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;
- design, test, and refine a series of sub-baccalaureate workforce training programs that will place distressed 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
- form 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.
Additional Designations Earned in Region
