The University Of Texas At San Antonio

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), a Carnegie R1 research institution and Hispanic-serving university located in San Antonio, Texas, acts as a prime recipient of federal grants and research awards across a broad portfolio spanning planetary science, biomedical research, STEM education, cybersecurity, and workforce development. UTSA received 1,370 prime grants and research awards (87% of its portfolio) totaling approximately $62.4 million in combined potential value over the source period, with 1,570 total awards including subawards. The institution does not compete for federal contracts; its federal engagement is entirely through grants, cooperative agreements, and positions as a subrecipient on research awards.

As a public component of the University of Texas System, UTSA serves 180 distinct federal customer agencies, with the National Science Foundation leading by award count (281 awards) followed by NASA Shared Services Center (82 awards, $12.4 million combined potential value) and the National Institutes of Health (69 awards). NASA's Shared Services Center anchors UTSA's dollar concentration at $12.4 million in combined potential value across 82 grants, primarily in planetary science research on topics such as Titan aerosol properties, Venusian geology, entry-descent-landing technologies, and exoplanet characterization via the Roman Space Telescope. The National Science Foundation and NIH together represent a second concentration band—281 and 69 awards respectively—spanning basic research in molecular microbiology, neuroscience, cognitive aging, chemistry, and mathematics.

Recent representative prime grants exemplify UTSA's research scope: a $2 million Emerging Frontiers Research Initiative (EFRI) award from NSF's Engineering directorate to integrate human-derived brain organoids with AI systems for information processing (October 2025); a $1.46 million NICHD award for development of small-molecule male contraceptives via RBM46 inhibition (February 2026); a $1.23 million cooperative agreement with NASA on STEM education and diversity in space science (September 2025); a $1.04 million Department of Education grant for workforce development for neurodevelopmental disabilities (October 2024); and a $855 thousand NSF CAREER award on urban heat islands and tropical species invasions (January 2026). UTSA also operates as prime recipient of multi-year STEM education infrastructure awards, including a $7.3 million Department of Education FIPSE grant for first-generation student support (October 2024) and a $9 million Disability Innovation Fund award on AI-enabled workforce training for neurodiverse populations (October 2024).

UTSA's subcontract footprint reflects its role as a research partner within larger consortia. The institution serves as a sub-recipient on awards from Southwest Research Institute, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, the University of Montana (vaccine adjuvant discovery), University of Massachusetts Medical School (fungal epitope discovery), and other research-intensive institutions. Recent sub-award work includes fungal antigen preparation for vaccine development (UMass Medical School, November 2024), Coccidioides T-cell epitope identification, brain organoid imaging and electrophysiology (University of Texas Health Science Center), and catalytic materials testing for CO2 conversion (Faraday Technology, February 2025). UTSA does not pursue federal contracting or participate in IDIQs and GWACs; its engagement is exclusively through research grants and cooperative agreements under federal research programs.

Activity has remained steady, with 106 awards in 2022 declining slightly to 97 in 2025 but indicating a mature, diversified grant portfolio. The $22.4 million in combined potential value facing completion within the next 24 months represents both recompete opportunity and renewal exposure across NIH basic research, NSF education and engineering programs, and NASA planetary science initiatives. UTSA's federal research footprint is characterized by strength in life sciences (genomics, neuroscience, immunology), physical sciences (materials, chemistry, planetary science), and applied STEM education, with particular emphasis on serving Hispanic and first-generation student populations and building research infrastructure at a minority-serving institution.