Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology

What Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology does

TAMEST (Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology) is a nonprofit professional academy founded in 2004 by former U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Nobel Laureates Michael S. Brown and Richard E. Smalley. The organization convenes 360+ Texas-based members of the three U.S. National Academies (Medicine, Engineering, Sciences), plus the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering, alongside 8 Nobel Laureates and 23 institutional members including UT Austin, UT Southwestern, Baylor College of Medicine, Rice, Texas A&M, and UT MD Anderson. Its mission is to advance research, innovation, and business in Texas by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across medicine, engineering, science, and technology.

TAMEST's product portfolio centers on four award programs: the Edith and Peter O'Donnell Awards (five categories, $25,000 honorarium each, celebrating 20 years in 2026), the Hill Prizes ($500,000 per recipient across seven categories including AI, funded by Lyda Hill Philanthropies), the Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship ($5,000 honorarium for women scientists in cancer research), and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Distinguished Service Award. Complementary programs include an annual conference drawing 400-800+ attendees across rotating Texas cities, the Natural Hazards Summit, and the Protégé Program, which has hosted 1,286+ early-career researchers since 2004. The O'Donnell Foundation contributed $1 million in 2026 to endow the awards ceremony, and 19 past O'Donnell recipients have subsequently been elected to a National Academy.

The organization operates with a lean staff of approximately six employees, headquartered at UT Austin with in-kind infrastructure support from the university. Revenue is generated through annual dues from 23 member institutions, conference and summit registration fees, and philanthropic contributions including Lyda Hill Philanthropies' over $10 million cumulative commitment to the Hill Prizes. Since founding, 350+ TAMEST members have been inducted into the National Academies or relocated to Texas, positioning the organization as a key vehicle for attracting and retaining top scientific talent in the state.

Name

Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology

Legal name

Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology

Website

https://tamest.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TAMEST is a nonprofit professional academy that convenes 360+ Texas-based National Academy members, 8 Nobel Laureates, and 23 research universities to advance interdisciplinary research and innovation through awards, annual conferences, and mentorship programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Annual dues from member institutions: TAMEST generates revenue through annual dues from its 23 member institutions, which include Texas universities and research centers. These dues are described as a crucial resource for TAMEST's mission.
2. Conference registration fees: Revenue from conference registrations for annual conferences and the O''Donnell Awards Summit. The Edith and Peter O''Donnell Awards Summit has a registration rate of $75 for general admission.
3. Endowment and philanthropic contributions: TAMEST receives transformational gifts such as the $1 million from the O''Donnell Foundation to endow the O''Donnell Awards Ceremony, plus ongoing support from Lyda Hill Philanthropies for the Hill Prizes program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

TAMEST is a nonprofit professional membership organization that convenes Texas-based members of the U.S. National Academies (Medicine, Engineering, Sciences) and other honorific bodies. It operates programs including the Edith and Peter O'Donnell Awards, the Hill Prizes, the Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Distinguished Service Award, the annual conference, the Natural Hazards Summit, and the Protégé Program for early-career researchers.

Product overview

TAMEST (Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology) is a membership organization, not a technology product company. It operates a portfolio of programs including the Edith and Peter O'Donnell Awards (rising researcher awards in medicine, engineering, biological sciences, physical sciences, and technology innovation), the Hill Prizes (high-risk/high-reward research prizes funded by Lyda Hill Philanthropies), the Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship (women scientists in cancer research), and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Distinguished Service Award. TAMEST also organizes annual conferences, the Natural Hazards Summit, and the TAMEST Protégé Program for mentoring early-career researchers. These programs work together to foster collaboration among Texas' top researchers and advance scientific innovation across the state.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Edith and Peter O'Donnell Awards Annual awards program recognizing rising Texas researchers in five categories: medicine, engineering, biological sciences, physical sciences, and technology innovation. Each award includes a $25,000 honorarium and an invitation to present at the TAMEST Annual Conference. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2026.
• Hill Prizes
• Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship Award recognizing women scientists in Texas bringing new ideas and innovations to cancer research, including a $5,000 honorarium and a lecture series at NIH National Cancer Institute Designated Cancer Centers.
• Kay Bailey Hutchison Distinguished Service Award Service award recognizing individuals and organizations demonstrating outstanding leadership in furthering TAMEST's mission of fostering collaboration and advancing research, innovation, and business in Texas.
• TAMEST Annual Conference Annual flagship conference bringing together Texas' brightest minds in medicine, engineering, science, and technology to explore research frontiers, foster collaboration, and advance innovation. Each year focuses on different scientific themes and rotates among Texas cities including Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Irving.
• Natural Hazards Summit Summit examining natural hazards impacts on Texas communities, convening government officials, research leaders, and insurance representatives to prepare for future disasters and pandemics.
• TAMEST Protégé Program Annual mentorship program where TAMEST members select early-career researchers to attend the annual conference. Includes a networking reception, breakfast meetings with National Academy members, and a Protégé Poster Challenge.
• Edith and Peter O'Donnell Awards Summit Annual summit celebrating O'Donnell Award recipients and their research discoveries. Features success stories from past recipients across all award categories. General admission $75 includes breakfast, lunch, and all programming.

Quantifiable outcome

• 19 O''Donnell Awards recipients have been elected to one of the National Academies and 7 have been elected to multiple academies
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• 23 Texas Universities and Research InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTAMEST's 23 member institutions include: Baylor College of Medicine, Baylor University, Rice University, Southern Methodist University, Southwest Research Institute, Texas A&M Health, Texas A&M University, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, UT Arlington, UT Austin, UT Dallas, UT El Paso, UT San Antonio, UTHealth Houston, UT MD Anderson, UT Medical Branch, UT Rio Grande Valley, University of Houston, University of North Texas, UNT Health Fort Worth, UT Southwestern Medical Center. Annual dues from these institutions are a crucial resource for TAMEST's mission.
• The University of Texas at AustincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUT Austin hosts the O'Donnell Awards Summit at the Crum Auditorium in Robert B. Rowling Hall and provides ongoing membership contributions, conference sponsorships, and in-kind donations of office space, infrastructure and support. Recognized with the Kay Bailey Hutchison Distinguished Service Award in 2020.
• National Academy of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTAMEST is composed of Texas-based members of the three National Academies including the National Academy of Medicine. Texas NAM members automatically become TAMEST members.
• National Academy of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTAMEST is composed of Texas-based members of the three National Academies including the National Academy of Engineering. Texas NAE members automatically become TAMEST members.
• National Academy of SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTAMEST is composed of Texas-based members of the three National Academies including the National Academy of Sciences. Texas NAS members automatically become TAMEST members.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society: A long-standing honorific scientific society that recognizes research excellence and supports early-career researchers through chapters and awards—closely mirroring TAMEST's protégé-to-fellow member pipeline.
• National Academy of Inventors: An honorific organization recognizing inventors and translating research into innovation, with member institutions across U.S. universities. Highly comparable to TAMEST in mission, membership model, and institution-based structure.
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: The U.S. national honorific body across the same three academies TAMEST mirrors (Medicine, Engineering, Sciences). TAMEST membership is automatically extended to Texas-based members of these national bodies, making the relationship direct and structural.
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): A large membership-based scientific society that advances research, recognizes excellence, and convenes scientists—overlapping directly with TAMEST's awards, membership, and convening model across all scientific disciplines.
• American Philosophical Society: One of the oldest U.S. learned societies, electing members based on scholarly distinction—an honorific, member-elected academic society comparable in prestige structure to TAMEST's National Academy-based membership.
• Research!America: A nonprofit alliance advocating for U.S. medical and health research, with member institutions and stewardship programming—comparable to TAMEST in advocacy and convening for the Texas research ecosystem.
• Council of Scientific Society Presidents: An organization of presidents of major U.S. scientific societies, focused on leadership convening and policy advocacy across disciplines—an analog to TAMEST's board-led, interdisciplinary convening model.

Regional players

• California Academy of Sciences: A scientific academy and institution based in California that convenes researchers, recognizes excellence, and engages members—parallel to TAMEST in regional scientific convening and recognition, though with a public-museum overlay.
• New York Academy of Sciences: A regional/state-affiliated scientific academy with programming, awards, and a member network—highly comparable structurally, though serving the New York region rather than Texas.

Broad incumbents

• American Academy of Arts and Sciences: A broader honorific society spanning sciences, humanities, and policy—comparable in member-elected prestige but operates nationally with much broader scope than TAMEST's Texas-focused model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TAMESTX
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TAMEST2004
• Facebookfacebook.com/TAMEST
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3040329?trk=prof-exp-company-name

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology