Mississippi Provides Advanced Research Capabilities

Strong Workforce

• Mississippi is strong in defense and homeland security-related technologies. The state ranks tenth nationally for defense procurements per capita and is home to the John C. Stennis Space Center, one of NASA’s 10 flight centers in the country and the primary center for testing and flight certifying rocket propulsion systems for the space shuttle and future generations of space vehicles.
• Mississippi boasts a strong and educated workforce, including 50,000 high-tech employees in 2004.
• The Mississippi Research Consortium enables the state’s four research universities to collaborate and capitalize on each other’s strengths and assets. The consortium has strengthened Mississippi’s research infrastructure and has led to several multimillion dollar research projects in Mississippi.

Investment in Research

• Mississippi invests in research. In 2004, federal, university and industry research and development expenditures exceeded $1.5 billion. Universities across the state reported royalties of over $3.5 million per year for patents and licenses developed in the state.
• Technology companies invest in Mississippi. In the last two years, the number of technology companies increased at a rate of 30 percent, creating a stable and thriving high-tech environment in the state. The I-59 Technology Corridor and the Mississippi Research and Technology Park are just two examples of high-tech clusters in the state which is also home to many new companies and facilities in various sectors.
• Mississippi invests in medical innovation. The state is home to leading work in heart and lung disease. Dr. Authur C. Guyton’s pioneering work in cardiovascular disease research has led the state to be the recipient of the longest running, continuously funded National Institute of Health grant in the United States (38 years and counting).
• Mississippi invests in agricultural research. The Jamie Whitten Delta States Research Center is one of the major research facilities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Research Services, and the Thad Cochran National Center for Natural Products is a unique university-affiliated center devoted to improving human health and agricultural productivity through discovery, development and commercialization of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals derived from natural products.