[VPAAEtal] System Research Excellence Fund

[Academic Affairs]

The following is sent on behalf of Dr. Brent Donham, Vice President for Research and Economic Development.

During the November 2025 Board of Regents (BOR) meeting, the BOR approved the System Research Excellence Fund.  The initiative is designed to "significantly elevate research capacity, competitiveness, and impact across the A&M System."  There are 8 Program Components.

  1.  Collaborative Discovery Grants
     *   Competitive grants supporting multi-system member collaboration on transformative research topics. The focus will be on projects with strong potential for large-scale follow-on funding from federal, state, and private sponsors.
  2.  Graduate Fellowships Program
     *   Support for prestigious graduate fellowships to recruit and retain exceptional doctoral students in strategic research areas with preference for inter-institutional advising and mentoring.
  3.  Faculty Hiring and Retention Program
     *   Funds to support start-up funds for high-profile research-active faculty hires and to retain leading researchers. Priority will be given to hires who enhance competitiveness for major funding and collaboration. Research activity includes scholarly and creative activities.
  4.  Research Equipment Grants
     *   Competitive program to acquire cutting-edge research equipment and technology that will be shared across multiple A&M System institutions.
  5.  Proposal Cost Share Program
     *   Strategic cost-sharing for high-value, competitive research proposals to federal, state, and private sponsors where matching funds increase the likelihood of award and are often mandatory.
  6.  Early-Stage Research Development Program Grants
     *   Funding for early-stage idea development, team formation, and proposal preparation activities for major research opportunities.
  7.  Strategic Research Initiatives
     *   Targeted funding for system-wide participation in high-impact research themes aligned with state and national research priorities.
  8.  Faculty Fellowship Program
     *   Support for short-term research fellowships for faculty at all A&M System universities to participate in collaborative research projects in laboratories at other A&M System campuses, including Texas A&M-RELLIS and Texas A&M-Fort Worth.

You can learn more at:  https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.tamus.edu_research_research-2Dexcellence-2Dfund_&d=DwIFAg&c=oqyuZuih6ykib6aKiBq22_bich4AVfYGoLertJN0bEc&r=ipRgm7MFqxEwm4jXxXA7TfceI2KGyDX4I4OYfUR5x68&m=EMpVb7MeSkGT01KO_ZMr-TjbWxB2h4gX5p7NpHfwXYCiB7SxE6jz8MGwS8b2TIzW&s=rSYjpyN1AzcAv8aTUxiF3W5R6otj8wqd6JOvikoumOE&e= 

A few key points:

  *   I am required to submit any proposal that we are the lead institution.
  *   A number of the Program Components are limited submission, meaning we can only submit the number allowed as the lead institution
  *   We can be a collaborator on as many as we want if another institution or agency is the lead
  *   The Program Components with an eligibility requirement of "at least two A&M System member institutions as substantive partners to the lead institution" requires at least 3 system member institutions and/or agencies (e.g. TEES, TTI, AgriLife, etc.) to be part of the team
  *   These are 1-year funds and must be expended in 12 months.

Attached is a graphic showing the start and end dates.  For limited submissions, there is an internal deadline to make a decision on what proposals will be moved forward.

If you have any questions, consult the FAQ page:  https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.tamus.edu_research_research-2Dexcellence-2Dfund_faqs_&d=DwIFAg&c=oqyuZuih6ykib6aKiBq22_bich4AVfYGoLertJN0bEc&r=ipRgm7MFqxEwm4jXxXA7TfceI2KGyDX4I4OYfUR5x68&m=EMpVb7MeSkGT01KO_ZMr-TjbWxB2h4gX5p7NpHfwXYCiB7SxE6jz8MGwS8b2TIzW&s=42d4ful3IDflqmYlRN1iBNIO0ZeMigYr2njA8lx_bOI&e= .  If you don't find your answer, feel free to reach out to me.

Regards,

Brent

Dr. Brent Donham

Vice President for Research & Economic Development


[TAMUC logo]<https://www.tamuc.edu/ >
On February 13, 2025, East Texas A&M University was designated an R2 research institution
by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. This prestigious classification
signifies that our university values scholarly research and positions us among a select group of
research institutions within The Texas A&M University System and across the nation.

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