Overview
On February 22-23, 2005, approximately 150 individuals met in Washington, DC, to discuss the development of NSF centers at EPSCoR universities. Teams from 22 EPSCoR universities (composed of senior university research administrators and key researchers) gathered with approximately 25 invited speakers (including leaders from exemplary NSF centers) and 8 NSF program directors in a timely, strategic forum focused on what is required, at multiple levels within the university, to compete for and manage NSF centers.

Sessions included:
- Pre-Center Formation Strategies and Issues
- Proposal Development
- External Stakeholders
- Effective Center Management Techniques
- Sustainability Plans and Future Opportunities
- Importance of Centers to Universities (esp. EPSCoR) / Challenges
- Building Centers Leadership in EPSCoR States: Findings and Recommendations on Best Practices and Investment Strategies

Additional information about the retreat can be found in the Participants and Presentations sections of this website.

Background
The EPSCoR Centers Development Initiative (CDI) is funded by NSF to provide consulting and technical assistance to research teams in the EPSCoR states competing for NSF centers and other large-scale projects.