On Dec. 16, 1941, the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR), San Antonioﾒs first biomedical research organization, was founded by Tom Slick. Endowed with 1,875 shares of the Slick-Urschel Oil Company, FARﾒs mission was to provide fundamental research and advanced education, covering agricultural research, the natural sciences and medicine.

FARﾒs name was changed in 1952 to the Southwest Foundation for Research and Education, succeeded by the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in 1984. In 2011, the name was changed to Texas Biomedical Research Institute.