Economists estimate the Human Genome Project produced $796bn in economic output

The Battelle study gathered longitudinal data, beginning in 1988, about federal funding for the Human Genome Project and factored in funds for related projects. The authors then looked at how that money rippled through the economy, producing growth in industry and academia. The analysis concluded that initial investments returned $244 billion in personal income to employees and created 3.8 million job-years of employment. “There will be benefits for years and decades to come,” says Grueber.