Since the launch of Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap in 2002, the Flinn Foundation has commissioned independent progress assessments of performance measures for the state’s bioscience sector. Data on a consistent set of metrics are gathered and reported publicly.
The April 2025 Roadmap Progress Report revealed the data below—the most recent available in most instances—on key metrics tracked by TEConomy Partners. The April 2026 Progress Report updated the figures for NIH funding and Bioscience R&D expenditures.
Jobs: Arizona’s most recent bioscience job growth rate from 2020-2023 (8.1%) was higher than the nation’s (6.7%). Non-hospital jobs—about 40,000 of the state’s total 144,000 bio jobs—grew far faster, up 19% over the same period.
Wages: In 2023, bio workers’ average annual wages were $20,000 above Arizona’s private-sector average. The average wage was $87,000 compared to $67,000. Bio wage growth of 15% generally matched the national rate.
NIH Grants: Arizona received $397 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health in 2025, a new annual record for the key metric of biomedical research funding — an increase of 14.7% since 2022. In addition, Arizona’s share of national funding in 2025 surpassed its longtime 1% target, finishing at 1.08% of the nation’s funding, 24th among all states.
R&D Expenditures: Arizona’s academic research and development expenditures in 2024 reached a record-high $855 million, one year after exceeding $800 million for the first time. Arizona’s growth rate of 21.3% in bioscience R&D funding between 2022 and 2024 outpaced the nation.
Venture Capital: Venture capital funding for bioscience companies in the state totaled $289 million in 2024, the highest number since 2021’s $291 million. The 50 deals, however, continued a downward trend from 2021’s high of 71, mirroring national trends.
University Tech Transfer: Arizona’s research universities spun out 14 bioscience firms in 2024, two more than the year before. Still, the number was short of 2021’s high of 27.
In April 2025, the Flinn Foundation hosted its annual event to share the new performance data, more than two decades after the launch of Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap. This data can be found in this detailed analysis from TEConomy Partners, “Biosciences in Arizona: 2025 Performance Review.” The annual event in April 2026 provided updated NIH and Bioscience R&D figures.
The current and past progress reports are available for viewing. In addition, the Foundation tracks the state’s major developments each year.
Data is tracked on the six industry subsectors that comprise Arizona’s definition of the biosciences. It should be noted that the industry data reflect only private industry; research-related jobs at state universities and private research institutions are not incorporated. Also, Arizona’s definition of the biosciences shifted in 2014 to reflect changes in the national definition by Battelle and the Biotechnology Industry Organization. Thus, these industry data do not correlate directly to those from the first decade.
The Flinn Foundation released a new Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap in September 2025 to guide the state’s bioscience sector through 2030.
Data from earlier years is available on the First Decade page.
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