Chancellor William H. McRaven joined Gov. Greg Abbott and chancellors from around the state today at the University of Texas at Austin to celebrate the signing of new legislation that will create the Governor’s University Research Initiative – a mission to attract world-class researchers, including Nobel laureates, to Texas public universities. The Texas Legislature has approved $40 million in funding for the initiative.

“Funding the type of research that occurs at our academic and health institutions and bringing the world’s greatest minds to undertake that research is what will make Texas the world’s epicenter of change, innovation and discovery,” McRaven said. “We will end disease. We will discover new frontiers. We will create a better tomorrow. We need only to make the right investment in our future. Gov. Abbott and the Texas Legislature are making that investment today.”

Strengthening research and attracting exemplary faculty have long been the focus for the UT System. Over the past decade, the UT System has invested more than $300 million in programs to attract and retain star faculty and researchers and to fund system-wide research initiatives. UT System’s Science and Technology Acquisition and Retention, or STARS, program is perhaps the most significant example. Created a decade ago, the program has lured world-class faculty from around the nation from institutions such as Stanford, Harvard, Princeton and MIT.

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