History of EPSCoR

The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research
(EPSCoR) was established by the National Science Foundation in 1979 to strengthen science and engineering infrastructure in states that historically have received less in federal research grants.

There are now 28 states and 3 territories that have EPSCoR status.

In New Hampshire, the NSF NH EPSCoR program is based at the University of New Hampshire, administered by the UNH Senior Vice Provost for Research and a Statewide Committee composed of representatives from industry, academia and government.

Research and outreach activities funded by the NSF EPSCoR awards in NH have created new collaborations between colleges and universities, with the private sector, and with K-12 educators.

EPSCoR programs or similar models have been developed by NASA, the Department of Energy, US Department of Agriculture, and the National Institutes of Health. For information on these programs in NH, see Partnerships.

The current research infrastructure and improvement award "Ecosystems and Society", a five-year $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation, is a statewide research and education project bringing together researchers from around the state to better understand the environment and the complex interactions of the climate-ecological-human system, as well as to provide critical information for state decision makers.  The project also provides new education and training opportunities in science, engineering, mathematics and technology that is necessary for a highly skilled State workforce that advances economic development and employment.

Since NH became an EPSCoR state in 2004, $93 million in federal grants have been awarded to build research capacity in New Hampshire.