Consortium to give UTSA new insight into economic impact of its research

Recently, UTSA became a full member of IRIS. This new membership level will provide the university with access to a more extensive set of data and analytic tools to examine the impact of its research activities in several areas, including workforce training, economic development and the career paths of researchers. These data will help identify strategic areas for further growth and inform research decision-making at the university.

"UTSA is proud to be a driving force in the Texas economy and we recognize that our research enterprise is a key contributor to that impact," said Heather Shipley, UTSA interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. "Our expanded partnership with IRIS will provide invaluable data to assess the impact of research on workforce training and the career trajectories of our students. By leveraging research activities, we can help shape the innovators of tomorrow and meet the evolving demands of our workforce."

"There is a growing need for accurate data on the positive impact of research on the economy and employment. These data can inform decision-making processes, which better positions UTSA to increase the impact of our research contributions," said JoAnn Browning, UTSA interim vice president for research. "Joining IRIS allows us to access these data and demonstrate how our research benefits society and the state's economy."

IRIS will provide the university with detailed data and reports on research spending, research vendors, and the employment and earnings of research-trained employees who work or previously worked on research-funded projects at UTSA. It will provide an Employee Profile Report, which helps universities track the career paths of former research-trained employees. The university's researchers will also have access to the detailed dataset IRIS has developed on the impact of funded research - including transaction-level information on more than 580,000 sponsored projects that have employed more than 985,000 researchers in the U.S. These projects have injected $192 billion across nearly 140 campuses around the country.