First in Texas: A&M Analysis tops $ 1 billion

0
411

Texas A&M Marketing and Communications Department

Texas A&M University is now the first university in the state to break the $ 1 billion mark in annual research spending, the research division announced today.

In its most recent submission to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the Research and Development in Higher Education (HERD) Survey, Texas A&M reported research spending of $ 1.131 billion for fiscal 2020, an increase of $ 179 million Dollars or 18.8 percent from 2019 equates to a total of 952 million US dollars. Spending includes research conducted on the flagship campus at College Station, remote locations in Galveston and Qatar, and through the state agencies of the Texas A&M University System.

Texas A&M Marketing and Communications Department

Nationally, Texas A&M joins the short list of research universities with total annual research spending over $ 1 billion, including peer institutions such as the University of Michigan; the University of North Carolina; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of California, San Diego; and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Greg Abbott, Texas Governor, said, “We congratulate Texas A&M University on achieving this remarkable milestone. Texas A & M’s commitment to research and innovation has grown to become one of America’s premier institutions. I commend the university management and staff for their work to keep Texas A&M at the forefront of research and discovery. The state of Texas will continue to invest in higher education and work with our university partners to build a brighter future for Texas. “

A&M Systems Chancellor John Sharp said the announcement was “a milestone never reached by a university in Texas. Thanks to Texas A&M Principal Investigators, Texas Legislature, and especially Governor Greg Abbott for his focus on meaningful research in establishing the Governor’s University Research Initiative. “As of December 31, 2020, the Governor’s University Research Initiative has invested $ 43.68 million to attract 12 of the country’s leading researchers to Texas A&M. This emerges from the initiative’s 2021 report to the Texan Legislature.

Texas A&M Marketing and Communications Department

Chancellor Sharp also noted that more than $ 1 billion in annual research spending was among his original goals when he was named by the A&M System Board of Regents in September 2011. To achieve this goal, Federal Chancellor Sharp founded the Federal Chancellor’s Research Initiative (CRI) in 2013. The company has invested $ 200.1 million in CRI Awards and $ 5.8 million in Chancellor Scholarships to Improve Developing and Generating Excellence in Scholarships (EDGES) to bring top researchers to the community of outstanding faculty researchers of Texas A & M to win. The Chancellor invested $ 5 million in seed capital in 2011 to support the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study, which provides a framework for attracting top researchers from home and abroad for appointments of up to a year. As a result of these initiatives, A&M increased the total number of members of the National Academies in its faculty from 19 in 2011 to 48 in 2020, an increase of 152.6 percent.

John L. Junkins, Interim President of Texas A&M, who is also the founding director of the Hagler Institute, praised the leadership of Governor Abbott and Chancellor Sharp. Junkins commented, “Inspired by their vision, Texas A&M has clearly established a formula for success to expand our research into funding and talent. Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this success. “

Mark A. Barteau, vice president of research, recognized A&M researchers for their critical role in securing research grants and other funding for the university. “Every year the competition for research funding from government, industry and other sources increases,” said Barteau. “Texas A&M is benefiting tremendously in this battle from the excellent reputation of our researchers and their teams for continually creating discoveries and innovations that are reshaping our world.”

According to Texas A & M’s most recent filing with NSF, fiscal 2020 spending was invested in the following research categories: Life Sciences, $ 502.3 million; Engineering, $ 359.4 million; Earth, Atmospheric, and Ocean Sciences: $ 107.8 million; Physics, $ 54.1 million; Non-Science and Technology Areas: $ 40.8 million; Social Sciences: $ 29.4 million; Computer and Information Sciences: $ 17.4 million; Math and Statistics: $ 8.7 million; other sciences: $ 5.6 million; and psychology $ 5.2 million.

Only one other Texas research institution offering academic degrees reported NSF research spending of more than $ 900 million in fiscal year 2019: the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, which is part of the University of Texas system, from that system however, it is defined as a health institution, not a university.

About research at Texas A&M University: As one of the world’s leading research institutions, Texas A&M leads the way in making significant contributions to science and discovery, including science and technology. Research conducted at Texas A&M resulted in annual spending of more than $ 1.131 billion in fiscal 2020. Texas A&M was in the top 25 of the National Science Foundation’s most recent survey of higher education research and development, based on spending more than $ 952 million in fiscal 2019. Texas A & M’s research creates new knowledge, the fundamental , provides fundamental and applied contributions that in many cases lead to economic benefits for the state, nation and world. research.tamu.edu