By News and Internal Communications

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – When UTRGV started in 2015, one of its founding priorities was to conduct research that would have an impact on the Rio Grande Valley, the state of Texas and beyond.

Eight years later, UTRGV is making good on that promise by producing record-breaking research expenditures, and by moving up in national research rankings.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) measures research productivity through its Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) survey and ranks universities by total research expenditures. Between fiscal year 2016 (UTRGV’s first year) and FY22, UTRGV’s total research expenditures more than tripled, going from $20.7 million to $64.4 million, an all-time high for the university.

In FY15, the year before UTRGV opened to students, the combined NSF research ranking of legacy institutions UT-Brownsville and UT Pan American was 279th of 625 universities. In NSF’s most recent rankings (for FY20), UTRGV was 194th – an improvement of 85 positions in six years. (Graphic by UTRGV Creative Services)

As a result, UTRGV’s NSF research rankings also have skyrocketed. In FY15, the year before UTRGV opened to students, the combined NSF research ranking of legacy institutions UT-Brownsville and UT Pan American was 279^th of 625 universities. However, in NSF’s most recent rankings (for FY20), UTRGV was 194^th – an improvement of 85 positions in six years. UTRGV ranked 12th among Texas general academic institutions and ahead of long-established universities like Southern Methodist, Baylor, and Texas Christian.

UTRGV President Guy Bailey said he is impressed with the remarkable growth in research and the solid foundation on which to build and progress toward R1 (universities with the highest research activity) and Emerging Research University status. 

“This is really just the tip of the iceberg for UTRGV,” Bailey said. “As we continue to implement our research strategy and build our research infrastructure, both our research expenditures and rankings should continue their dramatic improvement. The impact our research is having and will have on the Rio Grande Valley is immeasurable.”

Between fiscal year 2016 (UTRGV’s first year) and FY22, UTRGV’s total research expenditures more than tripled, going from $20.7 million to $64.4 million, an all-time high for the university. (Graphic by UTRGV Creative Services)

UTRGV’s MOST RECENT RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENTS 

Over the past several weeks, UTRGV has been awarded multiple research grants and accolades, including: 

• A $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the University Transportation Center for Railway Safety. 
• A $6 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to the UTRGV South Texas Center of Excellence in Cancer Research.
• A $5.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to address the shortage of mental health service professionals in schools.
• Election of Dr. Karen Lozano, professor of Mechanical Engineering and Julia Beecherl Endowed Professor, into this year’s class of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering for her contributions to nanofiber research and commercialization, and her mentoring of undergraduate students from underserved populations.
• Hosting Heidi Shyu, the U.S. Department of Defense under secretary for research and engineering, as part of the 2023 National Manufacturing Expo held at UTRGV. During her visit, the undersecretary met with UTRGV leaders, community partners and representatives from a range of manufacturing organizations to discuss key topics that included UTRGV's research and development (R&D) portfolio, engineering programs, student success and workforce, and economic development.   

Dr. Can (“John”) Saygin, senior vice president for Research at UTRGV and dean of the Graduate College, said he is excited about what the future holds for UTRGV’s research enterprise.

“For such a young institution, these research metrics are solid indicators of a strong foundation,” Saygin said. “We are committed to further developing and building upon our research enterprise to take UTRGV toward becoming an Emerging Research University on our path to an R1 institution.”