Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA)
The Texas Biomed NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) will soon be accepting applications for Teacher Cohort 4.
**NOTE: the SEPA program is contingent upon funding notification from the NIH. In the event funding is not provided, successful applicants will be notified.
Texas Biomedical Research Institute has been awarded the NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA). The SEPA program, It’s Contagious! Promoting the Biomedical Workforce Pipeline through Infectious Diseases is seeking secondary STEM content teachers (high school and middle school science, math, and technology) to participate in this educational research program. This is a one-year commitment in which teachers will engage with current infectious disease research and meet Texas Biomed researchers. Teachers will then design activities to enhance existing curriculum. Activities feature current research data and connect classroom content to career opportunities.
The SEPA program aims to:
- Increase connections between infectious disease research and classroom content,
- Increase student awareness of biomedical career opportunities, and
- Support teachers in the application of data to inform their teaching practices.
Teacher Eligibility Requirements
The SEPA grant is an educational research project requiring the collection and analysis of data, including student data. Eligible teachers must be teaching at a school or district with an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Texas Biomed.
The following districts/schools have an MOU:
- San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD)
- Center for Applied Special Technology (all CAST campuses)
- Judson Independent School District (JISD)
- Incarnate Word High School
- Southwest ISD (SWISD)
Applicants must teach at the middle or high school level, grades 6 through 12. Applicants should anticipate teaching a science, math, or technology course in the 2026-27 academic year. A maximum of 14 teachers will be accepted to the program, with top consideration given to teachers who teach STEM-related courses. However, other disciplines are considered for the program and are welcome to apply.
Program Timeline
Mandatory Program Orientation: May 30, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm at Texas Biomed.
Four-week summer professional development program at Texas Biomed:
June 8-11 (M-Th); June 15-18 (M-Th), and June 22-26 (M-F); July 6-10 (M-F).
The program starts promptly at 8:30 am and runs until 3:30 pm. The program does not meet the week of July 4th, June 29th – July 3rd.
During the academic year, 2026-2027, cohort members participate in monthly Community of Practice (CoP) meetings at Texas Biomed. The three-hour CoP meetings are scheduled for either Saturdays or Sundays. Specific meeting dates and times are determined by cohort consensus during the summer.
Application Window
Applications are accessed on this page. Applications open January 12, 2026. The last day to submit applications is April 3, 2026. Applicants will receive an automated email response indicating successful application submission. All applicants will be notified of their status on or before April 10, 2026.
Compensation
Successful applicants are Texas Biomed consultants and will be compensated through Texas Biomed. Participants will sign a consultant agreement outlining specific program requirements and compensation. For full participation in the year-long cohort study, teachers are compensated a maximum of $6,000, divided over the course of the year ($4,000/summer and $1,000 for each semester based on data collection and CoP participation).
