Pittsburgh Education and Research

Higher Education: a $3 Trillion Force In Pittsburgh's New Economy

The success of the Pittsburgh region's economy, even in the face of the worldwide downturn, has largely and correctly been attributed to the strength of Pittsburgh's powerful education and medical sector. The "eds and meds" factor accounts for more than $11 billion in local salaries - 22 percent of the total salaries in the region. In 2005, the Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education (PCHE) estimated $3 trillion as the economic impact of their ten member schools Carlow University, Carnegie Mellon University, Chatham University, Community College of Allegheny County, Duquesne University, La Roche College, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Point Park University, Robert Morris University and the University of Pittsburgh.

Funding of research grants awarded to Pittsburgh-based universities approaches $1 billion annually. In fiscal year 2008, the University of Pittsburgh and its affiliates alone received $447 million in National Institutes of Health funding, ranking Pitt fifth in the nation for NIH grants.

The schools enhance the depth and diversity of our culture, invest in and develop real estate, train our work force, enrich our arts, expand our technology and healthcare expertise, and inspire entrepreneurism and technology transfer. The PCHE member schools alone educate more than 54,000 full-time, 24,000 part-time and 20,000 non-credit students each year, including an average of 5,000 international students from 100 different countries.

Collaboration Takes Achievement to New Heights

Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are powerhouses in the "eds and meds" arena. The combination of two of the nation's important research universities and one of its largest and most respected medical complexes forms a dynamic economic engine that has driven the economy to new heights, pumping many billions of dollars into the regional economy each year, including the employment of nearly 80,000.

The extraordinary extent to which these three institutions are engaged in key collaborative ventures has propelled Pittsburgh's ongoing revival with groundbreaking research in technology and medicine, job creation, and incubation of new tech business ventures.

On targeted projects, Carnegie Mellon, Pitt, and UPMC jointly pursue funding, share resources, and bring together an array of scientists and other experts to tackle global problems. Their pioneering entrepreneurial initiatives-in medicine, biosecurity, computational biology, tissue engineering, education, supercomputing, information technology, robotics, disabilities and aging, cognition, and more-bring more than a billion dollars in research support to the region annually and continue to generate enduring global benefits. Taking imagination, innovation, and knowledge to the power of three has not only fueled the economy of Pittsburgh today, but has also helped set its course for the future.