R1: A Multiplier Effect for Central Texas

When Baylor was recognized as an R1 research institution last December, it represented the attainment of a long-pursued goal: to join the nation’s elite research institutions in the top tier of national research universities. This achievement was meaningful not only for Baylor University, but for the Greater Waco community and Central Texas. R1 recognition serves not only as an endorsement of the success of Baylor’s efforts to reach these heights, but sets the stage for where Baylor is headed—further impact.
Baylor is one of only 146 universities recognized by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as having “very high research activity.” Such universities, only 39 of which are private institutions, earn the R1 designation by meeting elite combination of metrics related to research dollars earned and spent, research staff hired and more.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment for so many reasons,” Baylor University President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., said. “Through top-tier research, scholarship and external funding support, R1 universities bring their voice to bear in addressing our world’s most significant challenges…And that gives us a lot of credibility. It attracts students and benefits them when they’re going out and looking for jobs. A Baylor degree is more valuable. It’s also incredibly valuable as we hire top faculty, who want to be at an R1 institution.”
A Cutting-Edge Community
From academic buildings in the heart of campus to facilities in the community like the Baylor Research and Innovative Collaborative (BRIC), the impact of R1 can be felt in a number of avenues of community benefit—a multiplier effect that develops when an institution is invested in pursuing new discoveries and greater knowledge.
Tangible aspects of that cutting-edge commitment include: research and technology development that spurs external grant funding, the creation of new companies formed by that research, high-level partnerships with national agencies, recruitment of top students and faculty. Already, Baylor’s investment in research has yielded:
“Nothing succeeds like success,” Vice Provost for Research Kevin Chambliss, Ph.D., said. “Our faculty have pursued and won highly-competitive research grants, we’ve built resources to facilitate growth and we’ve invested in attracting top faculty and research partners. Now that we’ve achieved R1, we can build on that foundation. People want to be a part of what we’re doing here, and we’re seeing that play out to community benefit.”
Faculty Recruitment: A Competitive Edge
Top faculty naturally want to work at the top research universities—institutions with the infrastructure to support their work. Not unlike a top coach in college athletics, talented individuals look for places that give them a great chance to win. Baylor’s pursuit and attainment of R1, combined with purposeful investment in those positions, is paying dividends.
The University is delivering on plans to create and hire more than 20 endowed faculty chairs, as well as 100 net new faculty over a five year period–bringing an influx of talent to Waco. Thanks to the generosity of Baylor donors and institutional investment, those positions are funded far beyond salary costs. Endowed chair positions provide sustained funding that make them particularly appealing to established researchers. Among the positions already filled are:
Combined, these faculty deliver not only decades of experience in fields like data science, quantum materials, engineering and metals, but bring their own talented research teams and meaningful partnerships. Jordon, for instance, brings to Baylor significant partnerships with NASA, the Department of Defense, and Department of Energy, along with an entire research lab of students from Alabama. That vitality comes to Central Texas through his recruitment.
Not limited to new hires, however, R1 recognition elevates the work of longtime faculty who helped Baylor reach that status, opening doors for additional research partnerships and student recruitment.
The BRIC: Fostering a High-Tech Community
Last Fall, Baylor was listed in the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents in 2021 in a report released by the National Academy of Inventors and Intellectual Property Owners Association. This recognition highlighted success within Baylor’s Technology Commercialization and Industry Engagement (TCIE) efforts, which includes the Lab to Market Collaborative (L2M). TCIE and L2M partner with Baylor faculty whose research shows promise for real-world products, helping them navigate funding, intellectual property rights protection, prototyping and more.
To date, the four companies launched through L2M since 2020 have generated over $15 million in research funding.
Those companies include: