Background

The Texas - UK Collaborative was established in the fall of 2002 to foster collaborations among researchers in the nanosciences, information sciences and the biosciences located in top institutions in Texas and the UK thereby building new areas of research and capacity generating new ideas, techniques, products and opportunities.

The top institutions in Texas became partners in Phase I of the Collaborative  including Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, Texas A&M University, University of Houston, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB).

In Phase I thirty thematic events, were organized involving more than 400 researchers from Texas and the UK and 60 collaborations, involving more than 180 researchers, were established.

Outputs include fifty manuscripts reporting the results of collaborative research have been prepared and four patents have been filed.

Research grant applications to federal, national and other funding bodies totalling ~ US$40.0 million have been submitted and funding of ~US$9.0 million has been provided.  A medical device company, Endomagnetics, Inc., has been established between the University of Houston and University College London.

Support was provided to researchers in Baylor College of Medicine and Rice University to visit the UK. This group prepared a proposal for the National Institutes of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health (USA) to fund a research project for ‘neuro-vascular regeneration'.  This proposal resulted in the Inaugural Quantum Grant of US$2.9MM, over 3 years, being awarded to Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, King's College London and the National Institute for Medical Research in London- US$1.0MM will be spent in the UK.

Although Phase I of the Collaborative was completed in the spring of 2006 many collaborations established continue to flourish.