EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation

Program Description

NSF EPSCoR, established in 1979, identifies, develops, and makes the best use of a state’s academic science and technology resources. Its goals are to: a) “provide strategic programs and opportunities for EPSCoR participants that stimulate sustainable improvements in their R&D capacity and competitiveness; and b) advance science and engineering capabilities in EPSCoR jurisdictions for discovery, innovation and overall knowledge-based prosperity.” By improving research infrastructure and increasing the capability of scientists to compete for mainstream programs, NSF EPSCoR is building a high-quality, university-based research and education infrastructure, capable of supporting a strong and stable economic base into the 21st century.

Award Components

There are two types of EPSCoR awards: Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) awards and co-funding.

RII Awards: These five-year awards provide up to $3 million annually to improve the academic research and development infrastructure in a given state. Research focal areas are selected by the state’s EPSCoR governing committee; they are nationally important, locally relevant and have potential to lead to long-term competitiveness and economic development.

Co-Funding: Co-funding awards help investigators compete for mainstream NSF research and research-related programs. This award mechanism provides “partial support for those proposals that merit review places at or near the cutoff for funding by the reviewing program.” Since 1998, more than 1600 EPSCoR researchers have moved into the regular research programs of the NSF as a result of co-funding. In addition to serving many individual research investigators, co-funding has also provided support and led to larger projects, such as Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT) awards, Engineering Research Centers (ERC), and Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC).

EPSCoR States

27 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.