The Texas Bio and Agro-Defense Consortium (TBAC) is a non-profit Texas consortium of research institutions, technology and research parks, governmental entities, and corporate enterprises representing the San Antonio area as the site location of choice for NBAF. TBAC is comprised of the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, Brooks Development Authority, the Texas Research & Technology Foundation, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and the University of Texas at San Antonio. If selected, TBAC and the San Antonio area have outstanding research qualifications, a highly qualified workforce, proficient construction and operations capabilities, as well as widespread community acceptance to make NBAF an extremely successful endeavor.

The Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR) is an independent not-for-profit research institution and one of the leading independent biomedical research facilities in the United States. Seventy percent of its operating budget comes in the form of grants and contracts from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). SFBR currently owns and operates approximately 332 acres of contiguous property in San Antonio, Texas.

Most importantly, SFBR has operated the only privately owned BSL-4 laboratory in the United States for over six years, with an outstanding safety and research track record.

SFBR is also home to the Southwest National Primate Research Center, one of eight federally designated primate research centers supported by the National Center for Research Resources. SFBR houses the world’s largest baboon colony for biomedical research.

The AT&T Genomics Computing Center (GCC) located at SFBR is the world’s largest computer cluster devoted to statistical genetic analysis. The parallel-processing network contains nearly 1,500 processor PCs. This system coupled with state-of-the-art high-throughput genetic analyzers, gives the Genetics department the resources it needs to be a world leader in statistical genetics and genomics.

Currently, SFBR’s staff consists of more than 400 employees, including seventy doctoral-level scientists conducting nearly 180 research projects. In addition, SFBR is a key member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Regional Centers of Excellence for Bio- Defense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research.

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is the fastest growing public university in the nation and the second largest institution in the University of Texas collegiate system. UTSA is in the process of pursuing Carnegie classification as a Doctoral/Research Intensive and Doctoral/Research Extensive Institution by 2010. UTSA is a university of scientists, engineers and technology managers and is on a fast track to reaching tier 1 status as a premier research university. In 2005, UTSA received over $42 million dollars in research funding, continuing a growth curve of almost 20% a year. Recently, UTSA built a new Infectious Diseases Research Center and BSL-3 animal research facility.

The University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) is one of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive health sciences universities and the only nationally ranked tier 1 institution in South Texas. Nationally, UTHSCSA ranks in the top 15% of research universities and the top one-third of medical schools, with funded research approaching $200 million annually. UTHSCSA is an internationally heralded biomedical research university. It is a driving force for accelerating, facilitating, and increasing the discovery, development, and dissemination of biomedical solutions to improve human health and quality of life. UTHSCSA’s research has lead to major breakthroughs in Cancer, Diabetes and chronic illness. Numerous research programs in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology focus on established and emerging infectious diseases caused by parasitic, fungal, viral, and bacterial pathogens, including plant pathogens. UTHSCSA provides the base for an outstanding research infrastructure, including technology, institutional research core facilities, laboratory animal resources, and regulatory oversight experience. Recently, UTHSCSA acquired one of the world’s first animal imaging centers and was ranked 6th in the nation in clinical medicine research by Sciencewatch.

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