(More information about agency EPSCoR programs)

Descriptions of NSF EPSCoR

From the glossary of Discovery and Innovation: Federal Research and Development Activities in the Fifty States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico (RAND Science and Technology Policy Institute, 2000): The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research was established at NSF to identify, develop, and utilize a state’s academic science and technology resources in a way that will support the creation of wealth and enhance the life of the state’s citizens. Specifically, EPSCoR stimulates sustainable R&D infrastructure improvements at the state and institutional levels to significantly increase the ability of EPSCoR researchers to compete for federal and private sector R&D funding, and accelerates the movement of EPSCoR researchers and institutions into the mainstream of federal and private R&D support. Only those states that historically receive less federal R&D funding and have a demonstrated commitment to develop their research bases and improve the quality of science and engineering research conducted at their universities and colleges are eligible to participate in EPSCoR. From the NSF EPSCoR website: EPSCoR identifies, develops, and uses a state's academic science and technology (S&T) resources to support its economic growth and a more productive and fulfilling way of life for its citizens. EPSCoR acts on the premise that universities, their science and engineering faculty, and their students are valuable resources that can influence a state's development in the 21st century. To achieve this goal, NSF collaborates with state leaders in government, higher education, and business to create partnerships that can bring lasting improvements to the state's academic research infrastructure and increase its national research and development (R&D) competitiveness. EPSCoR increases the R&D competitiveness of an eligible state by developing and using the S&T resources in its major research universities (institutions that grant significant numbers of the state's Ph.D. degrees in science and engineering disciplines). EPSCoR achieves this by: - Stimulating sustainable S&T infrastructure improvements at the state and institutional levels to increase the ability of EPSCoR researchers to compete for Federal and private sector R&D funding - Accelerating the movement of EPSCoR researchers and institutions into the mainstream of Federal and private sector R&D support From the Introduction of the most recent NSF EPSCoR program announcement (NSF 02-027): Section 3(e) of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Act of 1950, as amended, states that: "...it shall be an objective of the Foundation to strengthen research and education in the sciences and engineering, including independent research by individuals, throughout the United States, and to avoid undue concentration of such research and education." Through its Congressional mandate, the NSF promotes and advances scientific progress nationwide. However, in 1978 public concern about undue geographical concentration of federal funding of academic research and development (R&D) led Congress to further authorize the NSF to conduct the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). These Congressional instructions, which established the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, have been restated in subsequent Congressional authorizations of the Foundation's budget. Eligibility for EPSCoR participation is therefore restricted to those jurisdictions that have historically received lesser amounts of federal R&D funding and have demonstrated a commitment to develop their research bases and to improve the quality of science, mathematics, and engineering research conducted at their universities and colleges. Twenty-one states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico currently participate in the NSF EPSCoR program. (See Section III, Eligibility Information, for listing of eligible states.) For the purposes of this solicitation, the word "state" includes all eligible jurisdictions. A. EPSCoR Mission EPSCoR is based on the premise that universities and their science and engineering faculty and students are valuable resources that can influence a state's development in the twenty-first century in much the same way that agricultural, industrial and natural resources did during the twentieth century. EPSCoR's goal, therefore, is to identify, develop, and utilize a state's academic science and technology resources in a way that will support a more productive and fulfilling way of life for its citizens. To achieve this end, the NSF cooperates with state leaders in government, higher education, and business to establish productive long-term partnerships in support of common goals. These partnerships are designed to stimulate local action that will result in lasting improvements to the state's academic research infrastructure and increased national R&D competitiveness. EPSCoR increases the R&D competitiveness of an eligible state through the development and use of the science and technology (S&T) resources residing in its major research universities, those institutions granting significant numbers of the state's Ph.D. degrees in science and engineering disciplines. As a result of EPSCoR funding, it is expected that sustainable S&T infrastructure improvements at the state and institutional levels will be achieved, significantly increasing the movement of EPSCoR researchers into the mainstream of federal and private sector R&D support, taken in the aggregate and observed over time. From NSF’s FY2002 Budget Request to Congress: Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) is a State-NSF partnership to stimulate sustainable improvements in R&D competitiveness through the development and utilization of science and technology (S&T) resources that reside at the state's major research universities. EPSCoR emphasizes local direction and administration by broad-based statewide governing committees, program accountability at all levels, and non-federal cost-sharing investments. EPSCoR currently operates in twenty-one states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The states are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. EPSCoR attempts to develop nationally competitive R&D infrastructures within participating states by promoting partnerships among state government, universities, and the private sector in strategic research areas with high growth potential.

Map of Current NSF EPSCoR States

Source: National Science Foundation

NSF EPSCoR States: A Timeline

Year of Entry States FY 1980 Arkansas Maine Montana South Carolina West Virginia FY 1985 Alabama Kentucky Nevada North Dakota Oklahoma Puerto Rico Vermont Wyoming FY 1987 Idaho Louisiana Mississippi South Dakota FY 1992 Kansas Nebraska FY 2000 Alaska FY 2001 Hawaii New Mexico FY 2002 Virgin Islands FY 2003 Delaware FY 2004 Tennessee Rhode Island New Hampshire

Description of NIH IDeA

From the NIH National Center for Research Resources (NCRR): The Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program, established in FY 1993, is administered by NCRR. The program is similar in general intent to the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). IDeA was designed to broaden the geographic distribution of NIH funding for health research. As authorized by Congress, the program's intent is to enhance the competitiveness for research funding of institutions located in states with historically low aggregate success rates for grant applications to the NIH.