Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) News
Printer Friendly VersionUTSA, SwRI Partner to Join Elite National Research Roundtables
San Antonio researchers will contribute to national discussion on research policy through the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable
San Antonio — March 24, 2009 — The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) today jointly announced they have joined the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable (GUIRR), an elite sub-unit of the National Academies, the nation's advisers in science, engineering and medicine.
GUIRR provides a platform for leaders in science and technology from academia, government and business to discuss and take action on national and international scientific matters. This includes such topics as university-industry partnerships, scientific training in academia, the relationship between academia, government and business, and the effects of globalization on U.S. research. Through roundtable meetings and working groups, GUIRR's university and industry partners provide guidance and suggest possible solutions to streamline policies and procedures unique to the government-university-industry interface. This counsel, often documented in advisory reports, is distributed to key national leaders, including the President's staff.
"UTSA aspires to become a top research university, and our membership in GUIRR demonstrates this commitment," said Robert Gracy, vice president for research at UTSA. "UTSA's partnership with Southwest Research Institute to join GUIRR will not only strengthen the relationship between our respective institutions, it will allow our institutions to contribute to the development of national policies that will facilitate science and technology research collaborations in the future."
"As a contract research and development organization serving multiple industries and government clients, SwRI strives to apply scientific discoveries and new technologies in innovative ways," said Walter Downing, executive vice president of Southwest Research Institute. "Teaming with UTSA as GUIRR university-industry partners gives us a unique opportunity to participate in, learn from and contribute to the leading research collaborations in the nation."
James Casey, director of UTSA's Office of Contracts and Industrial Agreements, was instrumental in encouraging both UTSA and SwRI to join GUIRR. Casey, an active participant in GUIRR and a co-chair of its International Research Collaboration working group notes, "Both UTSA and Southwest Research Institute are very deserving of membership in GUIRR. Both have a clear commitment to advancing society through research, and both will serve as active participants in GUIRR's collaborative process."
GUIRR's member roster reads like a who's who of research, offering both UTSA and SwRI access to top research universities, industry leaders and federal officials. UTSA and SwRI are GUIRR's 17th university-industry pair. They join The University of Texas at Austin, previously GUIRR's only member from Texas, as well as:
| Industry Partner
Battelle |
University Partner
The Ohio State University |
To learn more about GUIRR, please visit GUIRR's Web site at http://www7.nationalacademies.org/guirr/.
For more information contact Maria Martinez at (210) 522-3305, Communications Department, Southwest Research Institute, PO Drawer 28510, San Antonio, TX 78228-0510 or contact: Christi Fish at UTSA at (210) 458-7584; or E-mail: christi.fish@utsa.edu.
