I wanted to reach out to you in advance of some anticipated media coverage on UTMB and its Galveston National Laboratory.

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) recently requested documentation from both UTMB and UT System regarding contractual and other funding relationships with foreign entities. UTMB, by statute, submits documentation annually to the DOE, and we are fully complying with this recent request.

UTMB provided biosafety training to scientists from more than 70 other countries around the world through its federally funded Biosafety Training Center; UTMB complies with all obligations to report its funding and receives no financial support or gifts from global scientific partners.

UTMB also plays a major role in the global research community to quickly identify and develop countermeasures against the world’s most dangerous public health threats, such as Ebola, Zika and Covid-19. These worldwide scientific collaborations are essential to global health security.

We are extraordinarily proud of our infectious disease experts working in the Galveston National Lab, and our scientific colleagues we’ve supported from around the world. Their contributions have led to therapeutics and vaccines to combat the world’s deadliest diseases, and their work, right now, on Covid-19 is internationally recognized. We are very fortunate to have these scientists, and all our researchers, working tirelessly to keep our world safe and healthy.

Thank you.