Welcome to UTSA

From the Vice President for Research

The mission of the Office of Vice President for Research (VPR) at the University of Texas at San Antonio is to promote all aspects of research and other creative endeavors among all colleges, research institutes and collaborating partners. This includes strategic planning and implementation of research thrusts, building infrastructures to support research, creating policies to provide an environment conducive to collaborative scholarship, and promoting the importance and visibility of the institution's research activities. [more]

Robert W. Gracy, Ph.D.
Short Bio

The office manages a variety of research programs, including seed funds for pilot projects, minority research grants, initiatives for commercialization of intellectual property, and assists in local and state economic development through interactions with public and private parties, the military community and industry.

In order to accomplish this mission, the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) supports and advises the entire academic community in securing external support for sponsored programs and collaborations. OSP reviews, negotiates, approves, and provides administrative oversight related to proposals and establishment of awards on behalf of The University of Texas at San Antonio in accordance with all applicable policies, and regulations.

The mission of the Office of Research Integrity and Compliance (ORIC) is to promote the ethical conduct of research. ORIC serves the UTSA research community by providing independent oversight in coordinating institution-wide research compliance policy, procedures and training through partnering with researchers. ORIC works with researchers to navigate the complex maze of federal, state, and local regulations that impact research undertaken at academic institutions. ORIC facilitates research integrity in the following areas: the use of humans and animals in research, biosafety, time and effort reporting, conflict of interest, export controls, and the responsible conduct of research.

News & Events

UTSA Hires Renowned Energy Expert

The University of Texas at San Antonio announced today the appointment of Les Shephard, a nationally recognized expert who often speaks before the U.S. Congress on energy and water issues, to head the UTSA Institute for Conventional, Alternative and Renewable Energy (ICARE). Shephard will assume his role as director on April 15, 2010. Read more

Multidisciplinary Proposal Development Team Created

To assist UTSA faculty and expand the number and scope of large, multidisciplinary research proposals the Vice President of Research has created a Multidisciplinary Proposal Development team.

The multidisciplinary proposal development team works in partnership with faculty to provide support for the early stages of program and proposal development of multi and interdisciplinary team science projects. This unit focuses on strategic, catalytic, and capacity building research development activities. The Office for Sponsored Programs (OSP) is responsible for overall research administration for the entire University. OSP is involved in the general process of proposal submission, negotiating agreements, accepting and appropriating awards, interpreting guidelines and promoting compliance with sponsor and University policies. The Multidisciplinary team and OSP work together to best serve the faculty when they are developing these large complex proposals.

Multidisciplinary Proposal Development Home Page

South Texas Technology Management Annual Tech Forum

WHEN:	Thursday, January 14, 2010
WHERE:	UTHSCSA Parman Auditorium Foyer
	7300 Floyd Curl, San Antonio, Texas
TIME:	Registration 5:30 PM
	Panel Session 6:00 PM
	Refreshments / Networking 7:00 PM

The theme of this outreach event is Collaborative Technology Commercialization and will showcase the collaborative roles and responsibilities of the universities in local and state technology-based economic development. A diverse audience is expected comprising academic and industrial researchers, small business leaders and start-up entrepreneurs, state and local government officials, business service providers, investors, and others interested in regional technology transfer and economic development. Additionally, local media are invited to participate.

For more information, please visit: http://www.utsystem.edu/sttm/techforum.shtml

San Antonio Water System Joins Energy Research Alliance of San Antonio

Dedicated to exploring new and innovative energy solutions, San Antonio Water System (SAWS) announced today it has joined the Energy Research Alliance of San Antonio established in June by The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI) and CPS Energy.

As the Energy Research Alliance's newest member, SAWS will collaborate with UTSA, SwRI and CPS Energy to define and implement new and alternative strategies for the development of energy technology. Read more

UTSA Mexico Center Research Fellowship

The Mexico Center is pleased to announce the 2009-2010 competition for the "UTSA Mexico Center Educational Research Fellowship".

This grant provides financial assistance for student/faculty research projects on Mexico-related topics that need time in Mexico to do field work or consultation at a university or research center. The student grants, funded by the "Carlos and Malú Alvarez International Study Fund", are worth $1,500. They pay for student travel to Mexico, food and lodging, local travel, and supplies/materials needed to complete the project (i.e. data sets for quantitative analysis, transcribers/recorders for fieldwork, etc.) To encourage teams of faculty and student researchers, the Mexico Center will supplement the student grant with up to $1,000 for faculty members working with students on the projects (one faculty member per project). The funds from the Mexico Center for the faculty member supervising the project will pay for faculty travel to Mexico, food and lodging, and supplies/materials needed to complete the project (faculty members will be reimbursed upon their return from Mexico). The grant cannot support faculty research alone.

The UTSA Mexico Center requests copies of the finished work by January of 2011, a financial accounting of expenses, and a presentation of the research project at a UTSA Mexico Center Brown Bag lecture.

Proposals are due by Monday, November 30, 2009. The completed application form (in word format) should be sent as an attachment (via e-mail) to Olivia.Lopez@utsa.edu.

An e-mail confirmation will be sent upon receipt of the proposal. Proposals will be reviewed by the UTSA Mexico Center Advisory Board.

The application form can be downloaded from:
http://www.utsa.edu/mexicocenter/fellowships.html

The Electronic Research Administration (eRA) Help Desk

In a continuous effort to provide the UTSA research community with better level of user support service on our eRA software systems, the Office of the Vice President for Research is pleased to introduce the Electronic Research Administration (eRA) Help Desk.

Here is the list of services currently provided by the eRA Help Desk:

CAYUSE
Electronic Routing Form
Effort Certification & Reporting Tool (ECRT)
Sponsored Programs Reports
Research Profile System (rSp)
VPR Website

eRA Help Desk Contact Information

Web: https://vprhelp.it.utsa.edu/support/
Voice: 210.458.7805
Email: vprhelp@utsa.edu

eRA Help Desk Hours of Operation

Mon - Fri: 8 A.M. - 5 P.M.
After Hours Technology Emergency: please send email to vprhelp@utsa.edu

Proper Stewardship of Federal Funds

In a continuous effort to promote good stewardship of extramural funds awarded to UTSA for research, instruction, and public service, and to promote understanding of Research Administration at UTSA, Dr. Marianne Woods, Senior Associate Vice President for Research Administration, presented "Proper Stewardship of Federal Funds" to a group of faculty members and research administrators on August 29th, 2008.

The PowerPoint slides of the presentation have been made available online at:

http://vpr.utsa.edu/files/PSFF.pdf

IRB Help Lab

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is offering help sessions every Tuesday & Wednesday from 2:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M. at Room 4.01.84 in the Multidisciplinary Building. Bring in an electronic copy of any materials with which you need assistance. Get the answers to all your IRB questions.

IRB Help Lab Information

We want to hear from you!

In a continuous effort to better serve the UTSA research community, the Office of the Vice President for Research is soliciting feedback as an aid to provide ideas and ways for improving our website.

Please take a few minutes to fill out this short online feedback form to let us know what you think. Thank you very much for your time and support!

VPR Online Feedback Form