$37-million Grant Yields Major Research Collaboration
October 19, 2019
While The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler already carries a world renowned name for itself in research, exploration for the region is slated to tremendously expand. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has created a colossal partnership that will advance research in East Texas to new heights. UT Health Science Center at Tyler has been awarded $37 million as a recipient for the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). The grant award serves as the largest offering from NIH for research and education. The project will foster major collaborative efforts between other Texas institutions and UT Health Science Center.
CTSA collaborative institutions:
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
- The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
- The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
- Rice University
“This grant offers substantive advantages for our institution,” commented Senior Vice President for Research Steven Idell, MD, PhD. “The CTSA awarding by the NIH provides a wealth of expanded research opportunities between the collaborating institutions. The fact that we will be working with some of the best investigators in American biomedical science is certainly exciting for East Texas and for the nation.”
In partnership with UT Health Houston, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, UT Rio Grande Valley, Rice University and UT Health Science Center at Tyler, the five-year $37-million grant will enhance existing infrastructure to cultivate collaborative studies in various disciplines, including medical and healthcare delivery research between the institutions. In addition, the grant will fund the expansion of clinical research to recruit patients for the clinical trials performed to find better ways to treat a range of diseases. The CTSA grant provides funding for the training of a range of students from undergraduates to clinical faculty in how to conduct clinically oriented research projects. Moreover, the grant offers funding for clinicians to achieve a master’s degree in clinical research, enabling the conduction of high-impact trials.
“Our institutions will be training the next wave of investigators,” said Dr. Idell. “This is the future of medical research, taking place at UT Health Science Center at Tyler and affiliates within the region.”