West Virginia is one of 27 states and territories eligible to participate in the National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR initiative.

Only the designated agency in each state may apply for these grants. In West Virginia, the NSF EPSCoR is administered by the Division of Science and Research and overseen by the Science and Research Council.

To guide the WVEPSCoR and its evolution, a set of primary goals has been established. The goals of the program are as follows:

• Sponsor and maintain world-class research;

• Develop academic resources, a skilled workforce and a competitive research infrastructure;

• Encourage the transfer of technology to support economic growth, jobs and life enhancement;

• Encourage participation of K-12, women, rural underserved and minorities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; and

• Maintain a focus within state government to attain these goals statewide. 

NSF established the national EPSCoR in 1979 in response to congressional concerns about the geographic concentration of federal support for academic research and development (R&D). EPSCoR is intended to expand and enhance the research capability of scientists in states that traditionally have lacked strong university-based research efforts, to help them to compete more successfully for a portion of the federal academic R&D budget. Congress began expanding EPSCoR beyond NSF in 1990.

Today, EPSCoR is a family of competitive, merit-based programs at the following seven federal R&D agencies: NSF; the National Institutes of Health; the departments of Defense, Energy and Agriculture; NASA; and the Environmental Protection Agency. NSF EPSCoR helps eligible states improve their R&D competitiveness through the following types of awards:  

Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Awards

These are five-year awards of up to $3 million annually to support academic research infrastructure improvements in areas selected by the state as critical to its long-term science and technology competitiveness and economic development. 

West Virginia received its second RII award in May 2006. The goal of the project, titled “Next Generation Biometrics:  Achieving Strength in Molecular Recognition and Transport,” is to propel West Virginia researchers toward competitiveness in cutting-edge nanoscale science. New knowledge generated by this work will have potential applications in the areas of health care, homeland security, forensic science and other related fields. WVEPSCoR partners in this exciting research and education opportunity are West Virginia University, Marshall University and West Virginia State University. The award of this RII forms one of the implementation cornerstones of Vision 2015, the state’s strategic plan for science and technology. 

Co-funding

To accelerate the movement of EPSCoR researchers and institutions into the mainstream of NSF support, EPSCoR Co-funding is available to provide joint support for certain meritorious proposals submitted to NSF’s research, education and cross-cutting competitions. Co-funding is not a program to which proposals can be submitted. Instead, it is a funding mechanism that operates internally within NSF and does not involve any action on the part of the applicant. For more information about EPSCoR Co-funding, visit NSF’s website.  

Related Links
National Science Foundation EPSCoR
EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation Report - Building on the Past, Preparing for the Future