In December 2021, UTSA acquired the prestigious Carnegie R1 designation, a recognition of ongoing research activities at the university. Since then, faculty at UTSA has continued to receive grants to further fund research at the university. 

For the fiscal year 2021, the university reported $140 million in research expenditures and 376 research awards worth $78 million. This was the second year the university’s research expenditures surpassed $100 million. These statistics increased in 2022, with $141 million in research expenditures and 378 research awards worth $109 million. 

UTSA’s Department of Research, Economic Development, and Knowledge Enterprise (REDKE) is the primary source of guidance and support as faculty apply for grants. 

Jaclyn Shaw, interim vice president for REDKE and associate vice president of Strategic Initiatives & Research Partnerships, explained that the REDKE division “leads and coordinates the university’s research activities.” Shaw took over the division at UTSA after former Vice President Bernard Arulanandam was named vice president of research by Tufts University. 

According to Shaw, several offices at UTSA provide faculty with the support they need to acquire funding and grants. 

The Office of Sponsored Project Administration works with principal investigators on proposals, including authorizations, submissions, revisions, negotiations and grant acceptance. The office also includes the Office of Contracts and Industry Agreements, which “negotiates and executes non-standard financial agreements and non-financial agreements[,] advises faculty and staff on contractual matters to protect institutional interests and ensure compliance with state and federal laws.” 

On the other hand, the Office of Research Finance & Operations is involved with the financial aspects of awards.

Additionally, the Office of Strategic Research Development has senior grant development coordinators for each of the university’s colleges. The office provides assistance in the form of two divisions: Proposal Development Services division, which “assists faculty with larger, complex, cross-college funding proposals and funding opportunities,” and the Faculty Research Development division, which “provides ongoing faculty with workshops.”

“Each college has a dedicated senior grant development coordinator who is familiar with their funding agencies and associated disciplines,” Shaw said. 

Despite this, the processing of all proposals and awards is consistent throughout all of the university’s colleges. Furthermore, the REDKE division processes all research proposals, awards and contracts to “ensure compliance with the research deliverables.”

While the REDKE division works to assist faculty in getting funding for research, any awards that faculty receive provide UTSA students interested in research with the opportunity to get hands-on experience. 

“Research is an important part of [the] college experience,” Shaw said. “Students participate in hands-on learning with an expert faculty mentor in a specific research discipline. [In addition, research] collaborations, as a result of the award, provide internship, fellowship and research opportunities for students.”