SAN ANTONIO — August 20, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has constructed its first facility outside of its San Antonio headquarters in Warner Robins, Georgia. The 33,000-square-foot, $18.5 million building, equipped to advance national defense technology, is strategically located 3 miles from Robins Air Force Base to bolster SwRI’s longstanding support for the U.S. Air Force.

The University of Oklahoma has received a $3 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to advance natural infrastructure applications. 

A new, AI-powered training method created by UC Berkeley researchers helps robots learn complex tasks with startling speed and accuracy. The protocol combines human demonstrations and feedback with the robot’s own real-world attempts to help it master tasks such as assembling a computer motherboard, building a shelf or even “Jenga whipping” with a 100% success rate within a matter of hours.

Researchers at Stanford Engineering have developed a new drug delivery platform that would allow antibodies and other protein therapeutics to be administered via injection, instead of through a time-consuming IV infusion.

World-renowned plant biologist Lucia Strader, previously at Duke University, will join the faculty at the Salk Institute in October 2025. Her research will help Salk’s Harnessing Plants Initiative design more resilient crop varieties that can thrive in changing environments.

The U.S. National Science Foundation has renewed funding for BioPACIFIC MIP — Biomaterials, Polymers and Advanced Constructs from Integrated Chemistry Materials Innovation Platform — a collaboration between UC Santa Barbara and UCLA that provides a unique scientific ecosystem for the United States. This $19.8 million renewal empowers BioPACIFIC MIP to continue advancing the frontier of biobased materials, uniting synthetic biology, chemistry, automation and artificial intelligence to reshape how materials are discovered, designed and deployed.