Southern Research has landed an $8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to build a national biomedical research hub in Southside Birmingham, one designed to push drug development away from animal testing and toward methods that better mirror human biology.
The money will fund construction of a new laboratory inside Southern Research's new research center, according to Bham Now. The lab's name is the Translational Hub for Research, Innovation, Validation and Excellence, or THRIVE for short. As reported by Business Alabama, THRIVE will be a national shared-use biomedical research facility based in Birmingham, built near Station 41, Southern Research's commercialization hub that supports biotech startups.
What THRIVE Is Meant to Do
THRIVE is focused on investigating, developing and adopting new research methods, according to the Bham Now report, with the goal of helping scientists identify better treatment strategies and speed up the development of life-saving medicines. The facility is expected to help move promising therapies into clinical testing and onto the market sooner, and to help researchers make more informed decisions about which approaches are likely to succeed in patients, per the same account.
Business Alabama's reporting describes THRIVE's purpose in similar terms, noting the facility is focused on accelerating the development, validation and adoption of new approach methodologies meant to reduce reliance on animals in drug discovery and development. Pharmaceutical Technology, in its own coverage of the grant, reports that the planned facility will concentrate on the development, validation and adoption of what the industry calls new approach methodologies, or NAMs — laboratory, computational and data-oriented techniques designed to mirror human biology more closely while cutting dependence on animal testing, according to Pharmaceutical Technology.
Who Gets Access to the Hub
Once operational, THRIVE will provide access to Southern Research's models, data and expertise for NIH investigators, U.S. government researchers, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, according to Southern Research as cited in the Bham Now report. Pharmaceutical Technology's coverage frames it similarly, reporting that the facility will grant access to its models, data and scientific expertise to NIH investigators, U.S. government researchers, and commercial biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
Harry Ledebur, Southern Research's chief operating officer, said THRIVE will combine human-relevant models, advanced analytics, reference data, and scientific and regulatory expertise to bridge the gap between innovation and application. “THRIVE is designed to close the gap between innovation and application by bringing human-relevant models, advanced analytics, reference data, and scientific and regulatory expertise together in one environment,” Ledebur told Pharmaceutical Technology.
A New Home in Southside
THRIVE will sit within Southern Research's new medical research center in Southside Birmingham, which opened in August 2025, according to Bham Now. That $98 million facility doubled Southern Research's laboratory capacity, according to a statement from Southern Research marking the center's grand opening.
The grant adds to a history of federal research funding flowing to the Birmingham-based nonprofit. Back in 2015, Southern Research received a National Institute on Drug Abuse grant of $4.5 million for up to five years to develop opioid drugs with diminished side effects, according to Southern Research's own announcement at the time. The new THRIVE funding arrives as the NIH has been expanding its push into human-based research methods nationally, a priority reflected in a broader wave of 2026 federal investment aimed at reducing reliance on animal models in biomedical science.
