Why Texas?

With an economy larger than many countries, Texas is consistently ranked as the top state in the U.S. for business. Powered by more than 50 Fortune 500 companies, thousands of publicly traded companies, and 3.1 million small businesses, the state boasts a robust and diverse economy that attracts entrepreneurs and investors from around the globe.
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Texas’s higher education system fuels innovation and research to help power its strong economy. We have seven public university systems, 37 public four-year universities, and 50 community college districts. The state is also home to six of the nation’s top 100 universities, according to U.S. News & World Report, and 11 Tier One research universities, supplying a strong talent pipeline.

The Lone Star State continuously invests in its workforce through programs such as the Skills Development Fund, the Texas Talent Connection Grant, and the Governor’s University Research Initiative (GURI). GURI helps recruit nationally recognized researchers from around the world to Texas, bolstering our state’s higher education institutions as we foster the workforce of the future.

Source: The State of Texas Workforce

Texas is both the #1 energy producer and consumer in the country. Texas’s highly skilled labor force and leadership in industry, research, and innovation give the state a significant energy advantage in both traditional and renewable. Texas higher education boasts top-ranked programs across the energy spectrum that are preparing skilled energy workers and leaders for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

Renewable energy is helping Texas meet its growing demand for energy, while also providing jobs, bolstering rural economies and supporting communities all across the state. According to the Texas Governor’s Renewable Energy Industry Report, the wind industry employs nearly 26,000 people in Texas. A report by the Natural Resources Defense Council says that each “major” wind farm (250 MW) creates approximately 1,079 jobs throughout the 14 steps of development, including planning, manufacturing, construction, maintenance, and operations.

TIEC has made renewable energy a focus area and invites collaboration and proposals for partnerships to advance solutions in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal #7, to ensure the access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.

Home to thousands of life science and research firms, Texas is one of the leading biotech states in the country. The state’s highly trained workforce, top-tier research institutions and business-friendly climate strengthens our status as a global life science industry leader. The Lone Star State is home to the world’s largest medical center, the Texas Medical Center (TMC), one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals, the Texas Children’s Hospital, and the world’s largest cancer hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center.

For decades, Texas has been a center for groundbreaking medical research, with a robust network of academic and research institutions, including seven of the nation’s top 125 medical schools and $6.6 billion in annual research and development expenditures. The Governor’s University Research Initiative (GURI) was created to bring the best and brightest researchers in the world to the Lone Star State. Additionally, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), a state-funded initiative which is leading the state’s unprecedented fight against cancer, has been instrumental in positioning Texas as a world-class leader in cancer research and prevention. The state’s innovative companies, medical centers and institutions of higher learning continue to keep Texas on the cutting edge of discovery in the biotech and life sciences sector.

Source: The State of Texas Biotechnology & Life Sciences

Higher education institutions play an essential role in Texas’s global economic competitiveness. TIEC is fortunate to be in a state where the connection is made between academic research and development on the one side, and the state’s future competitiveness on the other. The state of Texas’s strategic plan for higher education includes robust funds for research expenditures in support of this. Texas HEIs award 7,500 research doctorates annually also in support of the growth of Texas’s competitive edge.

As engines of innovation, Texas colleges, universities, and health-related institutions develop important research, discoveries, and technologies that change the lives of people across the world. Texas higher education institutions are leaders in translating academic research into commercially viable products, a process called technology transfer, and TIEC stands ready to support the efforts of our international partners seeking to maximize the benefits of their own research discoveries from higher education institutions toward solving global challenges and contributing to global prosperity.

Source: Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board