A proposition to establish a $500 million fund to enable seven research universities to compete for top-tier status was approved by voters in favor of the constitutional amendment.

Lawmakers now can use money sitting in a dormant higher education fund to create the National Research University Fund, tying payouts to each university’s research spending, private giving, doctoral programs and other criteria.

The seven institutions competing for funds are:

• The University of Houston;
• Texas Tech University;
• The University of North Texas;
• The University of Texas at San Antonio;
• The University of Texas at Arlington;
• The University of Texas at Dallas; and
• The University of Texas at El Paso.

Lawmakers, educators and business leaders long have lamented that Texas lags behind other big states, with just three research universities considered among the nation’s elite — the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University and Rice University in Houston.

In contrast, California boasts nine and New York, seven.

To access the money, each university must spend at least $45 million a year on federal research. The universities also must meet at least four of six criteria, among them maintaining at least a $400 million endowment and awarding at least 200 doctorates annually.