The University Of Texas At Tyler

The University of Texas at Tyler, a state-controlled public institution of higher learning based in Tyler, Texas, competes as a federal grant recipient and sub-recipient across research, workforce development, and STEM education programs. The university operates as a state government entity within the University of Texas System and does not hold prime federal contracts; all federal funding flows through grants from civilian agencies and state pass-through mechanisms.

UT Tyler's research footprint centers on applied and basic research in biomedical sciences, agricultural technology, and environmental science. Representative prime grant work includes a $583,047 NSF CAREER award (CFDA 47.041) running through March 2031 for development of miniaturized electrochemical sensors to detect nitrogen stress in plants and soils, enabling precision nitrogen management in agriculture. The university received a $525,920 NSF CAREER grant (CFDA 47.041) through May 2030 for smart hip implants with energy-harvesting load sensors to detect implant wear and loosening in real time. A $481,440 NIBIB grant (CFDA 93.286) supports computational algorithms for biomedical ultrasound imaging, with collaboration at Baylor College of Medicine. NASA space agriculture research has anchored two grants totaling approximately $335,553 for development of wireless leaf sensor networks to monitor plant phytohormones and stress responses in spaceflight-like conditions.

Customer concentration reflects the university's research mission. NSF leads by award count with 18 grants, followed by the Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (15 awards) and the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (6 awards). However, the combined potential-value ranking shows stark divergence: NASA's Shared Services Center carries 4 awards valued at $336 thousand combined, representing 95% of potential value across the portfolio, while NSF's 18 awards and ED's 15 awards carry substantially lower individual ceiling values typical of research grants. This reflects a portfolio heavily skewed toward small NIH, NSF, and DOE research grants (sub-million ceiling values) alongside a smaller number of higher-value NASA-funded agricultural sensor development projects.

UT Tyler operates as a sub-recipient under multiple prime institutions. The university subcontracts on NIH pharmacological research with Northeastern University on selective positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors for Parkinson's disease treatment, with work running through 2026 and 2025. UT Tyler performs machine learning algorithm development for wearable sensor analysis to detect opioid cravings under a sub-award from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The university participates in the SWOG clinical cancer research network under Oregon Health & Science University as the prime. State pass-through grants from the Texas Education Agency represent recurring sub-award volume, supporting Title I and IDEA-B programs at East Texas schools.

Activity has grown across the five-year window, from 8 awards in 2022 to 18 in 2024, with a recent spike to 16 awards in 2025 — though the two 2026 awards recorded represent early-stage captures. Nine awards (combined potential value $236 thousand) reach completion within the next twenty-four months, creating near-term recompete exposure in NSF STEM education and NASA agricultural sensor work. The combined potential value across all 132 awards reads as $368 thousand; however, obligated dollars ($85.4 million) far exceed that ceiling figure, indicating significant re-baseline and carryover activity typical of multi-year research grants with annual funding increments. The university's grant footprint demonstrates no set-aside participation — all awards reflect open competition — and emphasize basic and applied research rather than service contracting.