Award Overview
The Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology’s (TAMEST’s) Hill Prizes, funded by Lyda Hill Philanthropies, recognize and advance top Texas innovators whose high-risk, high-reward ideas have potential for significant real-world impact. The goal of the prizes is to recognize exceptional innovators and provide seed funding to advance innovative science and highlight Texas as a premier destination for world-class research. The prizes will bridge the path from research to business development and further innovations that need additional funding to have a greater impact. The Hill Prizes will also put recipients in a stronger position to receive more funding and seek large-scale grants and collaborations. By providing funding that helps bridge the gap between early-stage research and business development, the Hill Prizes strengthen recipients’ ability to pursue large-scale grants, build collaborations and bring transformative discoveries closer to practical application.

The Hill Prizes recognize transformative work in 7 categories—see Application Categories section of Sponsor website for additional details:

1. Artificial Intelligence
2. Biological Sciences
3. Engineering
4. Medicine
5. Physical Sciences
6. Public Health
7. Commercialization, Innovation, and Technology—see Who can Apply? Section of Sponsor website for eligibility details.

Eligibility Criteria

• Open to all Texas-based applicants, 15 years or more after their first full-time independent faculty, government or professional position (2011 or earlier).
• Applicants must have spent the past 2 years (at the time of submission) performing research in Texas and remain active in the state for at least 1 year after receiving the prize funding.
• Applicants may submit only one proposal per category (listed above), and may not submit the same proposal in more than one category. The committee reserves the right to reassign a proposal to a different category if deemed appropriate.

Application Requirements

1. Cover Page (1 page, use template)
2. Project Proposal (up to 5 pages)
3. Biographical Summary (NIH/NSF Biosketch accepted, up to 3 pages)

Sponsor Application Submission Process

Apply Online: tamest.org/submit
Current Deadline: June 1, 2026 @ 6pm CT

UT System STARs Program for the Office of Health Affairs

The STARs (Science and Technology Acquisition and Retention) Program provides funding to help purchase state-of-the-art equipment and make necessary laboratory/facility renovations to support faculty members in performing their research. These funds are meant to supplement institutional resources for the purpose of recruiting and/or retaining the very best research-active faculty.

The Faculty STARs Program is designed to recruit and retain highly qualified faculty with national reputations and the promise to become a candidate for membership in one of the National Academies.
The Rising STARs Program provides funding for institutions to attract up-and-coming research faculty who are recruited in a tenure-track position.
The Translational STARs Program focuses on recruitment or retention of nationally recognized leaders in translational and clinical sciences.

Each health-related institution will select faculty for recruitment or retention for one of the STARs Programs indicated above. To nominate a PI for a UT System STARs Program, please complete the UTMB UT STARs Nomination Form.

Health Science Education Small Grants Program

The purpose of the Shine Academy's Health Science Education Small Grants Program is to stimulate research and innovation in health science education. This program will make small awards (up to $5,000 per project) to faculty from University of Texas health institutions who submit a written proposal and budget for a project that strives to improve education by innovative approaches.

The Gulf Coast Consortia is an inter-institutional cooperative with a focus on building strong collaborative research groups and interdisciplinary training opportunities for PhD students and postdocs. GCC brings together the strengths of its member institutions to build interdisciplinary collaborative research teams and training programs in biological sciences at their intersection with computational, chemical, mathematical, and physical sciences.

GCC is composed of 8 prominent and geographically proximate Houston-Galveston area institutions: 1) Baylor College of Medicine, 2) Rice University, 3) University of Houston, 4) UT Health Science Center at Houston, 5) UT Medical Branch at Galveston, 6) UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, 7) The Texas A&M (TAMU) Institute of Biosciences and Technology (IBT) in Houston, and 8) Houston Methodist Research Institute.

John S Dunn Foundation Collaborative Research Award

The purpose of the GCC John S Dunn Foundation Collaborative Research Award Program is to foster new, exemplary inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional engagement in the quantitative biomedical sciences by providing research seed grants. The goal of this program is to fund new projects with high potential for future competitive research funding within 2.5 years of project start and a "best case scenario" plan for transitioning to clinical studies within 5 years. 

Funds will be awarded to NEW collaborative teams in which the PI and co-PI are from different GCC member institutions. 

If interested in applying to the GCC John S Dunn Foundation Collaborative Research Award, please review the information on the UTMB Limited Submissions webpage. This opportunity can be found under Current Limited Submissions March 1-June 2.

GCC REACH

The GCC Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (GCC-REACH) is an NIH funded multi-institutional resource wherein nascent academic entrepreneurs work closely with successful life science experts and experienced biotech executives to develop strategic milestones to rapidly validate the commercial value of their discoveries. Entrepreneurs who balance full-time clinical, teaching, and laboratory duties will be paired with Entrepreneurs in Residence and expert teams who provide mentorship and assistance in completing, market analysis, business plans, and technology development strategies. The GCC-REACH assists entrepreneurs in strategic planning for management and operations and provides vetted resources and support to achieve value-added commercialization inflection points. The GCC-REACH supports innovators affiliated with Texas institutions--academic faculty, postdocs, students, and clinicians.

Keck Center Training Programs

The training arm of the GCC offers world-class opportunities for training, mentorship, and interaction with faculty leaders and others engaged in interdisciplinary bioscience research. The Keck Center for Quantitative Biomedical Sciences brings together computational, physical, mathematical, engineering, and biological scientists in a stimulating and nurturing environment for the development and training of a new type scientist--one who can incorporate theory, simulation, and experiment to expand our understanding of modern biological problems. Pre- and Postdoctoral trainees are provided an intellectual environment for considering problems that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries, as well as training opportunities in different disciplines. Funded by the NIH and CPRIT, the 7 GCC training programs include: Antimicrobial Resistance Training Program in the Texas Medical Center (AMR-TPT), Training Program in Biomedical Informatics and Data Science (NLM), Cancer Therapeutics Training Program (CTTP), Houston Area Molecular Biophysics Training Program (HAMBP), Training Interdisciplinary Pharmacology Scientists (TIPS), Molecular Basis of Infectious Diseases (MBID), and Training in Precision Environmental Health Sciences (TPEHS).

The Mary Moody Northen Endowment, a private Galveston-based foundation, provides the Galveston Community Impact (GCI) Grants to honor Mary Moody Northen's affection for Galveston Island and to reflect the Board of Directors' own commitment to continuing her legacy in the community. The Endowment Board of Directors has a collective interest in considering grants that enable an organization to purchase equipment, furniture and fixtures, supplies and materials essential to the delivery of services and/or accomplishment of its mission.

Funds are limited to $20,000 per organization per calendar year. The Endowment also welcomes requests for smaller amounts. An organization may submit 2 GCI applications until it reaches the funding cap.

2026 Application Deadlines: May 8, 2026 and August 7, 2026

If interested in applying for a Mary Moody Northen Endowment Galveston Community Impact Grant, please reach out to UTMB Limited Submissions at limitedsubmission@utmb.edu.

PCORI funds comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) that helps patients, caregivers, and clinicians make better-informed healthcare decisions. PCORI focuses on studies that compare healthcare options, involve patients throughout the research process, and address critical evidence gaps in real-world settings.

Find PCORI Funding Opportunities!     Explore PCORI funded research!