Annual seed grants allow UTSA faculty to expand research

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024 — As part of its ongoing efforts to promote research and scholarship of the highest quality, the UTSA Office of Research has awarded 27 seed grants totaling $380,000 in support of UTSA faculty pursuing basic and applied research across six colleges. The faculty receiving these awards come from various disciplines ranging from art history and the humanities to biomedical sciences and engineering.

The UTSA Research Seed Grant Program supports transdisciplinary research, enabling investigators to gather preliminary data to support applications for extramural funding and/or the pursuit of a new area of research. The program includes four different funding mechanisms: the Internal Research Awards (INTRA), the Grants for Research Advancement and Transformation (GREAT), the Transdisciplinary Teams Program (T2) and, in partnership with the Southwest Research Institute, the Connecting through Research Partnerships Program (Connect).

Seed funding through these programs strengthens project competitiveness for the application for long-term extramural funding from larger sponsors including, but not limited to, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

“As a Tier One research university, it is important to support faculty innovation and creativity, particularly in areas crossing traditional fields where grand challenges often exit.”

“As a Tier One research university, it is important to support faculty innovation and creativity, particularly in areas crossing traditional fields where grand challenges often exist,” explained JoAnn Browning, interim vice president for research. “The UTSA Seed Grant Programs strive to give faculty the assistance they need in reaching new heights in their careers, whether it be through exploring new ideas and fields, encouraging student involvement in research, enhancing scholarly work or fostering new collaborations with partners. It is through the steadfast dedication of faculty to research and their innovative nature that our office is able to identify and support these new ventures."

Previously funded projects supported through the seed grant program have resulted in a $2.4 million return on investment, with eight extramural grants awarded and 45 publications submitted. Faculty engaged more than 100 UTSA students and 31 external collaborators in their projects, further demonstrating UTSA’s commitment to student success and developing partnerships for the benefit of the San Antonio community.

— Lyndsey Lepovitz