The Dallas delegation in the Texas legislature is circulating a letter this week asking for millions of dollars to be spent on research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. Officials say it would generate millions in outside revenue while at the same time produce thousands of jobs. It's one of a host of research projects that will develop new drugs, new vaccines and new medical procedures that will in turn spawn new businesses.
Officials say it's the economy of the future.
But when you look at which medical institutions get special appropriations from the legislature, UT Southwestern comes in 7th on the list. The school admits they didn't make a good enough case to pry extra funds out of Austin. But school president Kern Wildenthal says it's now time to get serious about research. Dallas has an opportunity to be one of those centers and biotechnology specifically, but more broadly technology and we would be very short-sighted not to take advantage of that possibility. It will go to those institutions that have a proven track record and a firm commitment from the state in terms of funding that research.