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The State of Research

UTA reached a series of milestones in 2019, 2020, and 2021

Recent Recognition

R-1 Doctoral Universities— Very High Research Activity reaffirmed
(Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, 2022)

7th fastest-growing doctoral public institution in the country
(The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Almanac, 2021)

147th for total research expenditures among all U.S. institutions of higher education
(Higher Education Research & Development Survey, FY 2020)

UTA Total Research Expenditures by fiscal year, as reported in the THECB RD Expenditure Survey

2017: $94 M

2018: $99.5 M

2019: $116.9 M

2020: $125.6 M

2021: $117.4 M

Restricted and Federal Research Expenditures for fiscal years 2019, 2020, and 2021

Restricted Research Expenditures

2019: $46 M

2020: $52 M

2021: $45.8 M

Federal Research Expenditures

2019: $40.5 M

2020: $44.3 M

2021: $46.2 M

Total Grant and Contract Research Expenditures

2019: $52.6 M

2020: $54.9 M

2021: $57.9 M

External Research Expenditures by Source fiscal year 2021

State: 7%

Federal: 76.8%

Private Gift: 7.4%

Private Sponored Projects: 8.8%

Federal Research Expenditures by Source fiscal year 2021

National Science Foundation: 19.9%

Dept. of Defense: 18.7%

Dept. of Commerce: 23.6%

Dept. of Health and Human Services: 22%

Dept. of Energy: 5.3%

Other Federal: 10.5%

Entrepreneurialism By The Numbers

  • UTA was granted 23 patents in 2020, contributing to the University of Texas System’s overall No. 4 ranking in the list of Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents in 2020.
  • With the induction of its newest member, UTA now has 19 fellows in the National Academy of Inventors, the most in Texas.
  • Six firms founded by UTA students won $85,000 at the 2021 MavPitch Business Competition grand finale, part of the Maverick Entrepreneur Program and Award Fund. Among the winners were the following:
    Pinch Master, a firm that manufactures and sells width-adjustable-grip-strength-training equipment for mountain or rock climbers. The strength-training equipment is made from polyurethane using 3D printing technology.
    iPark, a firm that is building a centralized parking system that utilizes cost-effective sensors to track the real-time occupancy status of each spot and aggregate this data in the cloud. The company’s mobile app allows users to find, book, and navigate to the nearest parking spot at the lowest price. It’s a one-stop management system for parking operators to have a bird’s-eye view of their parking.
    Petal, a company that seeks to change the way consumers shop by reducing the usage of single-use plastic bags. Consumers can purchase reusable bags that they can scan with their smartphones to gain incentives every time they shop.

Other Stories

Materials Science and Engineering Department Chair Stathis Meletis

Leading Edge

Supporting a Diverse STEM Workforce

UTA was one of 10 universities to receive a seed grant from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials program.
Dr. Talon Johnson

Early Insight

Mathematician wins NSF fellowship

The National Science Foundation selected Talon Johnson for its prestigious Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowship.
Disease susceptibility in coral

Coral Concerns

Disease susceptibility in coral

Biology Professor Laura Mydlarz and doctoral candidate Nicholas MacKnight published a study in the Nature online journal Communications Biology demonstrating...