Undergraduate Research at CISER was established in 1992. In that time, Texas Tech University has received five generous grants in 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006 from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Undergraduate Science Education Program totaling $7.8 million dollars. TTU was the only Texas institution to receive a grant in the 2002 competition, and is the only Texas institution to had received continuous funding from HHMI. Until 2014, CISER was primarily funded by the HHMI Undergraduate Science Education Program. Today, thanks to the generous support from colleges, departments, and administrators in Texas Tech system, and other grants, TTU CISER is able to continue supporting Undergraduate Research Scholars in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).