Please enjoy this new edition of the º£½ÇÉçÇø EPSCoR newsletter that features highlights and stories from across EPSCoR programs old and new in the state.
º£½ÇÉçÇø is currently home to fourteen active EPSCoR projects. These projects represent nearly $27 million in funding from across the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Since the EPSCoR program’s inception in 1980, º£½ÇÉçÇø has engaged to advance EPSCoR’s mission locally and build research capacity in the state. º£½ÇÉçÇø was the first EPSCoR jurisdiction in the nation to earn two NSF EPSCoR Research Incubators for STEM Excellence (E-RISE) awards and a Collaborations for Optimizing Research Ecosystems (E-CORE) award, all part of the EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Program. This represents a $22 million investment in º£½ÇÉçÇø over four years with an additional $17 million if the three awards are renewed. These programs connect º£½ÇÉçÇø’s leading institutions in research, education and development from across the state and unite them in the pursuit of improving º£½ÇÉçÇø’s research capacity and national competitiveness.
º£½ÇÉçÇø’s RII E-RISE and E-CORE programs collectively bring together 28 leading research, education, and economic development institutions from across º£½ÇÉçÇø as formal partners.
Read the stories:
From º£½ÇÉçÇø EPSCoR Leadership
As research projects in º£½ÇÉçÇø conclude and new ones begin, the mission of federal EPSCoR programming remains our guiding star: building research capacity to strengthen º£½ÇÉçÇø’s communities, contribute to broader society, and advance the nation as a whole. With the launch of new initiatives—such as E-CORE RII and E-RISE RII from the U.S. National Science Foundation, º£½ÇÉçÇø EPSCoR has embraced change and sought to determine how these opportunities can best be leveraged for local benefit.
In this issue, you will see how EPSCoR programming connects resources with researchers, educators, communities, and stakeholders. Federal EPSCoR funding enables scientists to ask big, consequential questions that shape our shared future, while also empowering educators to prepare the next generation of innovators who will strengthen º£½ÇÉçÇø’s workforce. This programming supports jobs, allowing º£½ÇÉçÇørs to live and work in the communities they cherish. It sustains foresters who steward the vast forests once described by Henry David Thoreau and fishermen who continue to harvest the sweeping coastlines that inspired Winslow Homer. Together, these efforts build a stronger, more prosperous º£½ÇÉçÇø and contribute to a brighter future for the nation and the world.
The stories highlighted in this issue represent only a glimpse of the many EPSCoR activities underway in º£½ÇÉçÇø. We deeply appreciate the time, expertise, and energy that so many individuals contribute to these projects. It is with gratitude and enthusiasm that we share this newsletter with you, and we thank you for your continued support and interest in our work.
