is this grammatically correct?

[AutomaticGal]

" Data can be turned into vital statistics; statistics are vital in research and development "

im just not sure if i use a semi colon or not :-s

[Quizmonster]

The semi-colon is perfect in these circumstances. (There should, of course, also be a full stop/period after development.)
The whole thing is, however, rather repetitive. Perhaps it would be better to write:
"Data can be turned into statistics; these are vital in research and development."
Thus, you use the words vital and statistics only once each in the sentence.

[eltelioni]

I agree with Quizmonster. Byt he way, in the old days "vital statistics" meant a woman's breast, waist & hip measurements. It's not used these days but would have that connotation for older people like me.

[Quizmonster]

Whether vital or otherwise, as stated by Aaron Levenstein, borrowed by Woody Allen, "Statistics are like a bikini. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital."

The phrase vital statistics was first used as long ago as the 1830s, regarding matters of health and illness. In reference to a woman's shape, the phrase did not appear until the 1950s. But still, a nice trip down memory lane, as you said, Eltelioni!