UTSA students working in Laser Lab on West Campus
UTSA research funding increases 39 percent in FY2002
(Feb. 28, 2003)--The University of Texas at San Antonio received $28.8 million in sponsored program awards in fiscal year 2002, which is $1.6 million or six percent higher than the previous year.
Of the $28.8 million, more than $15.9 million was directed toward restricted
research, a 39 percent increase over the $11.5 million awarded in total in
fiscal year 2001.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding of UTSA research projects began
28 years ago with a few hundred thousand dollars and has increased dramatically
to more than $7.3 million in fiscal year 2002.
Of the $7.3 million total, $6.6 million went to 18 research grants, $711,000
went to two training grants and $22,000 went to a fellowship.
“The NIH's increasing financial support reinforces the university's goal
to become a top-tier research university," said Ricardo Romo,
president of UTSA. "In 2001, the most recent year for which figures are
available, UTSA was ranked 148th in NIH research funding out of 515 domestic
institutions of higher education in the United States, and we were second
in the state of Texas among general academic institutions in NIH funding for
biology."
Some of the funded projects at UTSA include investigating genetic and epigenetic
reprogramming in cloned mice; developing non-invasive vaccine strategies for
a host of diseases; and using laser light and other energies to better understand
and work with biological materials such as cells and tissues.
"This funding has been very important for establishing our research program
at UTSA," said John McCarrey, professor of cell and molecular
biology. "Increased NIH funding coincides with the new Ph.D. program
in cell and molecular biology at UTSA, and should provide valuable opportunities
for student participation in research."
The University of Texas Southwest Medical Center in Dallas, a UT System component,
ranked 26th in NIH research funding with $144 million. UT System components
totaled over $5.1 billion in NIH research funding.
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© The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2003