The Hill Prizes annually award $3.5 million ($500,000 across seven prize categories) to accelerate breakthrough innovations in Texas. To maximize the impact of the high-caliber applicant pool, Lyda Hill Philanthropies provides extra discretionary funding as a separate component of the program, bringing this year’s total funding amount to $4.5 million.
“The Hill Prizes are about fueling bold, transformational paths in research and innovation,” said David E. Daniel, Ph.D. (NAE), Chair of the Hill Prizes Committee. “Through this generous additional funding from Lyda Hill Philanthropies, we are able to extend the reach of the Hill Prizes program, ensuring that more of Texas’ most pioneering researchers receive the capital needed to translate ambitious ideas into tangible solutions.”
The 2026 ad hoc Hill Prizes grantees represent leading academic and research faculty and leaders from across Texas, tackling critical challenges in cancer detection, non-hormonal contraception, infectious disease and healthcare access.
“The caliber of research in this year’s applicant pool made it clear that we should expand our investment beyond the seven 2026 Prizes,” said Lyda Hill, Founder of Lyda Hill Philanthropies. “These six researchers are leading groundbreaking work that holds the potential to transform health outcomes across Texas and beyond. We are proud to support their work and excited to see where their research leads.”
2026 Hill Prizes Ad Hoc Funding Grantees ($1 Million Total):
- Karen M. Basen-Engquist, Ph.D. — The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ($200,000)
Proposal: Designing scalable digital exercise programs tailored to improve quality of life and health outcomes for cancer survivors.
- Elizabeth Chen, Ph.D. (NAS) — UT Southwestern Medical Center ($200,000)
Proposal: Advancing non-hormonal male contraception to expand safe, reversible reproductive health options.
- J. William “Bill” Harbour, M.D. — UT Southwestern Medical Center ($200,000)
Proposal: Developing Artificial Intelligence-guided techniques for early cancer detection to improve diagnostic precision and patient survival.
- Yi Liu, Ph.D. — UT Southwestern Medical Center ($100,000)
Proposal: Elucidating mechanisms of viral protein synthesis to uncover novel antiviral therapeutic targets.
- Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Ph.D. (NAM, NAE, NAS) — Rice University ($100,000)
Proposal: Implementing low-cost, Artificial Intelligence-enabled point-of-care breast cancer diagnostic tools for rural and medically underserved communities in Texas.
- Larry S. Schlesinger, M.D. — Texas Biomedical Research Institute ($200,000)
Proposal: Developing host-directed and targeted therapies to combat drug-resistant tuberculosis.
This additional funding underscores the Hill Prizes’ commitment to identifying and accelerating high-risk, high-reward research that can generate transformative impact on science and society. A full list of the primary recipients of the 2026 Hill Prizes can be found on the TAMEST Hill Prizes webpage.
The 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 prizes have funded more than $12.5 million in vital Texas research since 2024. The prizes aim to elevate exceptional researchers, accelerate paradigm‑shifting science and position Texas as a premier destination for world‑class innovation. 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 have seven categories: artificial intelligence; biological sciences; commercialization, innovation and technology; engineering; medicine; physical sciences; and public health.
About Lyda Hill Philanthropies
Lyda Hill Philanthropies encompasses the charitable giving for founder Lyda Hill and includes her foundation and personal philanthropy. Her organization is committed to funding transformational advances in science and nature, empowering nonprofit organizations and improving the Texas and Colorado communities. Because Miss Hill has a fervent belief that “science is the answer” to many of life’s most challenging issues, she has chosen to donate the entirety of her estate to philanthropy and scientific research.
TAMEST (Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology) was co-founded in 2004 by the Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison and Nobel Laureates Michael S. Brown, M.D., and Richard E. Smalley, Ph.D. With more than 360 members, eight Nobel Laureates and 23 member institutions, TAMEST is composed of the Texas-based members of the three National Academies (National Academy of Medicine, National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Sciences) and other honorific organizations. TAMEST brings together the state’s brightest minds in medicine, engineering, science and technology to foster collaboration, and to advance research, innovation and business in Texas.
