About the UTSA-TEC Relationship
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (TEC or Tec de Monterrey) have a longstanding history of active partnership and engagement dating back to January 2007.
The current collaborations span three colleges, 10 academic departments, the core research labs, the School of Data Science and the Institute for Economic Development.
Our joint work addresses important questions in data science, cybersecurity, quantum, health and biology, advanced materials, and economic development. Through this alignment, we aim to prime the next generation of leaders in these fields in both the U.S. and Mexico.
In addition to several scholar and research partnerships, we have an active reciprocal student exchange program and a dual degree program—both created to promote academic excellence and cultural exchange.
Dr. Taylor Eighmy
President, UTSA
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua.”
Dr. Lisa Montoya
Vice Provost for Global Initiatives and Senior International Officer, UTSA
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua.”
Dr. Raúl Rodríguez
Associate Vice President for International Affairs, TEC
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua.”
Featured News
Research
Data Science Seed Grants
The UTSA-ITESM Seed Grant Program supports innovative, early-stage collaborative research among the institutions’ faculty and students. It is initially focused on data science and AI-related research.
The program supports projects that:
- furthers our mutual research interests
- strengthens connections among the campuses
- catalyzes early-stage research that can lead to external funding from federal, state, industrial, and/or private funding sources.
Quantum Computing
A trilateral agreement on quantum computing between UTSA, TEC and Arizona State University (ASU) to explore and apply for funding to finance joint projects in research and training.
Contacts
David Silva, UTSA; Juan Nolazco-Flores, TEC; and Sean Dudley, ASU.
Quantum Collaborative
In addition to extensive agreements, UTSA and TEC have also partnered with ASU to form the Quantum Collaborative—a research group dedicated to uniting quantum technology research efforts and developing a prepared workforce.
Learn more about this exciting research partnership Right Arrow
Are you interested in connecting with UTSA researchers?
ConTex
UTSA houses ConTex, a UT System collaboration with Mexico’s National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT). ConTex provides funding for Ph.D. students and faculty scholars and connects researchers across disciplines to develop mutually beneficial ideas and solutions for the U.S. and Mexico.
View the latest issue of Contexere to learn more about ConTex's work. Right Arrow
Dr. Kathryn Mayer
Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at UTSA
Mayer and co-principle investigators Dr. Nicholas Large (UTSA) and Dr. Nancy Ornelas Soto (TEC) were awarded a ConTex Collaborative Research grant for their work titled "A new approach for the optical sensing of contaminants of emerging concern based upon core-shell nanoparticles."
Learn more about Dr. Mayer's work. Right Arrow
Raymond Choo
Professor of Cyber Security and Electrical and Computer Engineering at UTSA
Choo and co-PI Jesús Arturo Pérez Díaz (TEC) are collaborating on cybersecurity research including "Cyberattack mitigation in software defined networks" and "Towards an interpretable autoencoder: A decision tree-based autoencoder and its application in anomaly deTection."
Learn more about Dr. Choo's work. Right Arrow
Are you a Mexican student interested in getting funded to pursue a Ph.D. at UTSA?
Learn more about ConTex’s Doctoral Fellowship program Right Arrow
Are you interested getting funded to collaborate with scholars at UTSA?
Learn more about ConTex’s Collaborative Research Grant program Right Arrow
Contact ConTex to learn about more opportunities for funding.
Contact ConTex Right Arrow
Special Joint Programs
Dual Degree in Cybersecurity
As leaders in the cybersecurity field, UTSA and Tec de Monterrey have partnered to provide students with an outstanding opportunity to take high quality cyber courses without curricular overlap from the partner university. Students will have a unique opportunity to learn cybersecurity from a global perspective, benefit from this unique study abroad opportunity, and earn two degrees from stellar programs. The curriculum for this dual degree program involves 36 total semester credit hours, with 18 at UTSA + 18 at TEC. In addition, students will create 1 research essay that will be jointly advised by UTSA and TEC faculty.
More details and information on how to apply will be available soon.
Business Bridge Programs
UTSA and TEC’s partnership also extends into the realms of data analytics and accounting applied to business. UTSA Alvarez College of Business faculty member Juan Manuel Sanchez has made immense progress in his relations with TEC and has been the championing pioneer for two successful bridge programs.
Data Analytics
Enacted in 2019, the data analytics bridge program serves to equip TEC staff with the knowledge and skills needed to teach data analytics in an ever-changing landscape. The program focuses on topics such as big data, business intelligence, data algorithms, data visualization, and high-level programming. Since its inception, this program has trained over 70 faculty all over Mexico.
Accounting
Developed in Spring 2022, the second bridge program is aimed towards Tec de Monterrey students earning their Ph.D. in Accounting who wish to learn from renowned UTSA faculty. With the assistance of this program, these students are executing research and have access to the ability to publish with international journals.
Reciprocal Student Exchange Program
UTSA and Tec de Monterrey
Research Immersion Program
In the summer of 2024, UTSA School of Data Science and Global Initiatives will launch an immersion program for TEC undergraduate students that would like to have an international experiential learning opportunity working alongside UTSA subject matter experts. All the research projects will have a data science component. Data science is a field that collects, analyzes and interprets information to gain valuable insights to make informed decisions and it can be applied to all professions. Stay tuned for more.
Learn about the exciting research happening in the School of Data Science Right Arrow
Partnership History
1953
San Antonio, Texas and Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico become Sister Cities. This agreement established an official partnership between the two cities, linking them together in an effort to create global development and cultural understanding. Fun fact: Monterrey was the first Mexican city to have a U.S. Sister City.
1989
On February 28, 1989, Mexico became the first Latin American country with Internet access. The Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM)-Campus Monterrey managed to establish a dedicated link to the National Science Foundation (NSF) network.
Dedicated access to the NSFNET network was established through The University of Texas at San Antonio School of Medicine, where the closest node to the City of Monterrey was located. The .mx domain names were established on a server based on a MicroVAX-II machine.
1997
First official affiliation agreement between UTSA and Tec de Monterrey is signed, hallmarking the beginning of a partnership paramount to UTSA Global Initiatives.
2014
First official cooperation agreement between UTSA and Tec de Monterrey is launched in Spring. This 10-year agreement expanded the 1997 agreement to the entire TEC System (31 campuses across Mexico) and established the goal of carrying out joint research and continuing education programs, organize symposia, conferences and short courses on research issues, and exchange best practices in teaching, student development and research at each institution.
2015
UTSA Global Initiatives hosted its first Summer Research Immersion Program with Tec de Monterrey. 50 TEC students participated in special programs across the institution.
2018
During the summer of 2018, UTSA hosted the 4th Research Immersion Camp with TEC students in attendance. The programming was curated to teach integrative biomedicine, cyber computing and analytics, social and educational transformations, sustainable communities and critical infrastructures with the assistance of premier UTSA researchers.
April 2023
The inaugural Los Datos Conference is held at the newly opened San Pedro I building. A delegation of 15+ Tec de Monterrey faculty, staff, and student researchers attended. Rocío Alejandra Chávez Santoscoy of Proyecto Origen also delivered a keynote speech.
September 2023
UTSA President Taylor Eighmy led a delegation to Tec de Monterrey to expand the collaborative ecosystem between the two universities, promote bilateral investments, and advance workforce and economic development opportunities for both countries. The two institutions renewed their long-term cooperation agreement and signed a program agreement establishing a dual master’s degree program in cybersecurity—UTSA’s first international dual degree program.
April 2024
To strengthen UTSA’s strategic alliance with Tec de Monterrey, the university invited its Board of Directors to foster existing and explore new opportunities to elevate the partnership. The discussions focused on the pivotal role universities play in shaping the future economies of San Antonio and Monterrey. During the occasion, UTSA also honored the legacy of the late Carlos Alvarez, a dear friend, mentor and benefactor to both institutions.
July 2024
The UTSA School of Data Science successfully launched its inaugural research immersion program for master's students from Tec de Monterrey this summer. Eight students collaborated on research projects under the guidance of four renowned faculty members. To enrich their experience, the program included cultural and technological excursions throughout San Antonio. The pilot program was overwhelmingly positive, and we aim to establish this as an annual opportunity for Tec students.
Want to know more about this partnership?
International Affairs
Carelli De la Garza
Associate Director for Global Engagement, UTSA
Em: carelli.delagarzatorres@utsa.edu
Research Affairs
Ana Laredo
Special Projects Manager for Strategic Research Initiatives, UTSA
Juan A. Nolazco-Flores, Ph.D., SNI I
Data Science Hub Director, Tec de Monterrey
Em: jnolazco@tec.mx
