TAMEST Welcomes SwRI and Texas Biomed as New Member Institutions
TAMEST is excited to announce the addition of two new member institutions: Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed). Both are private research institutes located in San Antonio, Texas.
“Welcoming SwRI and Texas Biomed as new member institutions strengthens TAMEST’s mission to foster research collaboration and innovation across the state,” said TAMEST Board President Ganesh Thakur, Ph.D. (NAE), University of Houston. “Their inclusion expands our collective ability to drive groundbreaking science and technology in Texas and supports our ongoing efforts to address the critical challenges of tomorrow.”
When TAMEST was founded in 2004, TAMEST member institutions included academic institutions in Texas that had members of the National Academies or Nobel Laureates on faculty. The TAMEST Board of Directors recently expanded member institution eligibility to include nonprofit research institutes in the state with TAMEST members or a substantial amount of annual research spending (approved by the Board on a case-by-case basis). Under these new guidelines, the Board is welcoming SwRI and Texas Biomed as member institutions.
“TAMEST has an unrivaled reputation as the state’s most prestigious scientific organization. As a global leader in infectious disease research, including those most vulnerable to infection, Texas Biomed is delighted to be part of this organization of institutes and universities that share our values and support our mission,” said Larry S. Schlesinger, M.D., CEO and President of Texas Biomed. “TAMEST’s forums elevate Texas’ position as an important destination for scientific discovery and innovation internationally, reflecting our goal of attracting the brightest minds in biomedical research to our bioscience hub in San Antonio.”
TAMEST member institutions are vital partners in fulfilling TAMEST’s mission. Their support enables TAMEST to cultivate and support the next generation of researchers and innovators, increase cooperation across disciplines and address issues critical to the state.
“TAMEST is an outstanding organization that convenes persons and organizations in Texas that are making incredible advancements in medicine, engineering, science and technology,” said Adam L. Hamilton, President and CEO of Southwest Research Institute. “As a part of TAMEST, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI®) helps advance the TAMEST mission by staying informed on the important work of other members and building additional collaborative teams that help all continue to excel. TAMEST plays an important role in recognizing and connecting these critical resources and drawing additional expertise to our state.”
SwRI and Texas Biomed were officially welcomed as TAMEST member institutions at the opening reception of the TAMEST 2025 Annual Conference on February 4, 2025, in Irving, Texas. With their addition, TAMEST now represents 24 member institutions, nearly 365 National Academy members or members of other honorific organizations and the state’s eight Nobel Laureates.
“SwRI has been an R&D leader for almost 80 years and is one of the largest independent, nonprofit, applied R&D organizations in the nation. Being a member of TAMEST helps SwRI stay apprised of technical advancements and expertise while also facilitating the development of strong relationships that build great collaborations,” said President Hamilton. “These opportunities help SwRI advance its mission and purposes while also supporting other research organizations across our state.”
TAMEST looks forward to working with SwRI and Texas Biomed to help bring together the state’s brightest minds in research to foster collaboration, and to advance research, innovation and business in Texas.
“We are stronger together, particularly when dealing with the complex challenges posed by current and future threats to public health in our state, nationwide and internationally,” said President Schlesinger. “We are very pleased that through TAMEST, we will continue to be an integral contributor to research supporting the development of diagnostics, treatments and vaccines in Texas to improve human health and longevity. Effective collaboration leads to leaps in science rather than incremental advances.”
To see a full list of TAMEST member institutions, click here.
About SwRI:
SwRI is a premier independent, nonprofit research and development organization using multidisciplinary services to provide solutions to some of the world’s most challenging scientific and engineering problems. Headquartered in San Antonio, its client-focused, client-funded organization occupies more than 1,500 acres, providing more than more than 2.4 million square feet of laboratories, test facilities, workshops, and offices for more than 3,200 employees who perform contract work for government and industry clients. For more information, please visit https://www.swri.org/
About Texas Biomed:
Texas Biomed is a nonprofit research institute dedicated to protecting the global community from infectious diseases. Through basic research, preclinical testing and innovative partnerships, we accelerate diagnostics, therapies and vaccines for the world’s deadliest pathogens. Our San Antonio campus hosts high containment laboratories and the Southwest National Primate Research Center. Our scientists collaborate with industry and researchers globally and have helped deliver the first COVID-19 vaccine, the first Ebola treatment and first Hepatitis C therapy. For more information, please visit https://txbiomed.org
