Texas Universities in Partnerships

In addition to academic research, many Texas universities are involved in research partnerships with private industry, international organizations, and other academic institutions. Universities are finding that collaboration allows partners to share resources, to identify and work on more challenging problems, and to reduce the risk of going it alone. Some examples of current partnerships are provided in the following paragraphs.

The Southwest Academy of Nanoelectronics (SWAN) is a partnership between the State of Texas, Texas Instruments, and other industry partners. Potential research projects include the development of nanoscale electronic switches for use in laptop computers and cell phones as well as targeted research in biomedicine, energy, and health care. The University of Texas System has developed several academic partnerships, including the Strategic Partnership for Research in Nanotechnology (SPRING), a collaborative effort between UT-Austin, UT-Dallas, UT-Arlington, Rice University, the US Air Force, and Nano at the Border, an affiliation between UT-Brownsville, UT-Pan-American, and other UT schools.

The Advanced Materials Research Center (AMRC) is a partnership between Sematech, the State of Texas, and the University of Texas System to conduct research on new semiconductor technologies. Sematech, the Austin-based semiconductor industry research collaborative, includes companies such as AMD, Intel, IBM, Freescale, Infineon, and Texas Instruments. A five-year program was launched in 2004 and focuses on nanotechnology and biotechnology research. The AMRC is expected to generate more than 4,000 high-tech jobs in Texas in the next decade.

Texas A&M University and CombiMatrix Corporation received a grant from the National Academies to develop new methods to increase the speed of molecular analysis performed by DNA microarrays. DNA microarrays (also known as gene chips, DNA chips, or biochips) are collections of microscopic sections of DNA attached to solid surfaces such as silicon chips.

Universities in Texas are putting a priority on international collaboration. UT-Dallas is exploring partnerships with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC-Canada) and the University of Alberta. NRC-Canada is the premier science and technology research organization in Canada and provides strategic oversight and funding of scientific investigations to universities and private researchers throughout the country. The International Center for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials (ICNAM) is a collaborative partnership between UT-Austin and two Mexican research institutions, the Center on Advanced Materials and the National Council for Science and Technology. The goals of ICNAM are to organize workshops in the areas of research in nanotechnology and materials science, stimulate the nanotechnology industry on both sides of the border, and promote exchange between researchers and graduate students.

UT has also established agreements with government agencies such as the military branches and national science organizations. The US Department of the Navy’s Naval Undersea Warfare Center and UT have a partnership to develop tiny embedded sensors for undersea vehicles. The program will result in scientific and engineering knowledge for naval applications.

Sandia National Laboratories is engaged in a research collaboration with three Texas universities (UT-Arlington, UT-Dallas, and the UT Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas) with the goal of increasing the number of nuclear engineers and scientists. The agreement between Sandia and UT emphasizes collaboration in four key research areas–nanotechnology, microtechnology, biotechnology, and engineering sciences.

Texas universities are studying the impact of nanotechnology on future workforce demographics. The State of Texas is partnering with Baylor University, Texas State Technical College, and Zyvex Corporation to project the need for nanotechnology technicians in the future.