Factors affecting the emergence of the University of New Mexico as a research institution in a period of increased competition for research support are discussed. The case study covers the period of 1972-1978 and focuses on the development of the Office of the Vice President for Research and its entrepreneurial activities, including its increased utilization of political action, interorganizational cooperation, and the creation of an image of itself as a research university. Attention is directed to internal demands for increased support of research activities as well as competition for external support from the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration. The institution's participation in a university consortium to manage the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory occurred during a period when the laboratory was emerging as a significant competitor for federal energy research support. An overview of the linkages between universities and the federal government is included, along with information on the ethnohistorical approach used in collecting the data for the case study, which is designed for use in graduate student seminars. (SW)