LEGISLATIVE BRIEF
NATIONAL RESEARCH SUPPORT FUND (NRSF) Continued support for the NRSF guarantees Texas institutions the ability to employ expert faculty, fuel cuttingedge research and train the skilled workforce needed to solve pressing issues in Texas and advance the nation. UTSA’s NRSF Allocation $18,039,717 per year; $36,079,434 per biennium
Overview In 2023, the Texas State Legislature restructured funding for research being conducted by universities. Part of the changes include renaming the Core Research Support Fund (CRSF) to the National Research Support Fund (NRSF), which provides a direct incentive and tangible investment in our state’s public emerging research universities. The NRSF will provide financial support to enable Tier One public institutions like UTSA to make deliberate, long-term commitments to advancing research activity that results in positive economic impact for the state.
The Challenge Located in Texas’ second most populated city, UTSA is San Antonio’s only Tier One institution with the prestigious Carnegie R1 classification for research. To elevate UTSA’s research enterprise toward national relevance, and strengthen Texas leadership in AI, cybersecurity, data analytics, brain health and space science, consistent and reliable funding is crucial. Key to this goal will be making the NRSF a permanent fund, thereby providing as a vehicle for strategic long-term commitments to advance world-class research.
The Impact Ongoing, permanent funding from the NRSF will allow UTSA to: Recruit Nationally Recognized Research Leadership Recruit key leadership and national academy members to UTSA that capitalize on UTSA’s strengths by further building our areas of scholarly excellence where UTSA holds national recognition and a notable volume of research expertise. Enhance Research Development Programming Offer faculty access to seed grants, targeted proposal review/feedback, and partnerships to increase the success of securing external funding. Research projects funded by seed grants awarded in 2022 resulted in substantial extramural funding by 2023 — 35 research projects were collectively awarded $425,000, $108,000 of which was funded through CORE. This resulted in extramural funding of $2,383,866, representing an ROI of 700.95%.
7K 90%
Skilled professionals graduate from UTSA every year Stay and join the Texas workforce
For More Information Heather Shipley, Ph.D. UTSA Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs o: 210.458.5191 heather.shipley@utsa.edu Jason Hassay UTSA Government Relations o: 210.458.5102 m: 512.413.9598 jason.hassay@utsa.edu Updated September 11, 2024