“San Diego’s non-profit research institutions are the backbone of scientific innovation. They are the birthplace of groundbreaking advances in biosciences and translational research that yield life-changing discoveries and therapies.”

2015 Economic Impact of San Diego’s Research Institutions Report San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation

On Tuesday, October 13, the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation released their annual report on the contribution that non-profit research institutions make to the local economy. And what it revealed is what many of us already knew—that San Diego is the most concentrated scientific R&D market in the United States and a global leader in innovation.

The report was generated with the guidance of numerous research institutions, including SBP, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Scripps Research Institute, J. Craig Venter Institute, and West Health Institute, and is the most comprehensive analysis on San Diego’s research institutions to date.

Here are some of the highlights from the report’s findings that reinforce San Diego as an epicenter of life science research and innovation:

• Independent research institutions in San Diego receive more NIH research funding and generate more patents than any other metro area of the United States.
• Research institutions impact 37,000 jobs and have a combined $4.6 billion impact on the region’s gross regional product (GRP) every year.
• The $4.6 billion economic impact of research institutions equates to 33 U.S. Open Golf Championships, 4 San Diego Convention Centers, 34 San Diego Comic-Cons, or 6 aircraft carriers.
• Many of the world’s best and brightest scientists perform cutting edge research in San Diego; there are 111 living National Academy of Science members and more than 2,600 postdocs within research institutions alone.

The information in the report will be used to build supporting coalitions with industry leaders, attract investment in the life science sector, and increase funding to make sure that science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students stay in the area to address the workforce issues that this dynamic sector requires.

 

To read the report click here