LEGISLATIVE BRIEF
SAN ANTONIO LIFE SCIENCES INSTITUTE (SALSI) A bold investment in UTSA’s R&D enterprise for improving health outcomes, advancing discovery and building a talent pipeline for Texas’s health sciences workforce. FUNDING REQUEST $7M per year; $14M per biennium CURRENT FUNDING $2.3M per year; $4.6M per biennium This includes supplemental funding from the 88 th TX Legislative Session
Bold Initiative The San Antonio Life Sciences Institute (SALSI) is a premier resource advancing research in biomedical and biotechnology industries, while providing exceptional learning opportunities for students. SALSI’s transdisciplinary collaborative R&D and support for bold grant opportunities has attributed to the growing biomedical sector work in the region.
Strategic Investments SALSI is a strategic investment in research and development aimed at improving health outcomes. SALSI directly contributed to UTSA securing a Carnegie R1 research classification in 2022. This level of recognition, along with SALSI investment, are fueling UTSA’s national reputation for worldclass research and biomedical and health innovation. It supports impactful research projects in areas like brain health (neuroscience), cancer prevention, infectious diseases and growing new tissues (regenerative medicine).
The Challenge SALSI funding has become the foundation for San Antonio’s health and biomedical research community, supporting a range of impactful collaborative programs, including: the San Antonio Partnership for Precision Therapeutics (SAPPT), the Brain Health Consortium, the Vaccine Development Center of San Antonio, RegenMed SA and the Center for Innovative Drug Discovery. Each have led to significant progress in brain health, cancer, health disparities, mental health and regenerative medicine. Further investments in SALSI are needed to build on the initiative’s successes, which will in turn support the research endeavors of the new School of Public Health and position UTSA to compete for federal funding.
For More Information JoAnn Browning UTSA Interim Vice President for Research 210.458.7379 joann.browning@utsa.edu Jason Hassay UTSA Government Relations o: 210.458.5102 | m: 512.413.9598 jason.hassay@utsa.edu Updated September 4, 2024