What is EPSCoR?
The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) is a merit-based program started by the National Science Foundation in FY 1979 to broaden the geographical distribution of federal funding of academic research and development. The success of the NSF EPSCoR program (newsletter; past issues) led to EPSCoR-like programs in seven other federal agencies (DoD, DoC, DOE, EPA, NASA, NIH, USDA) starting in FY 1991, which are coordinated by the EPSCoR Interagency Coordinating Committee (EICC).
What is DOE EPSCoR?
The Department of Energy's EPSCoR is a federal-state partnership designed
to help the nation and the states better meet today and tomorrow's energy
needs. States eligible for DOE/EPSCoR support include: 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, Wyoming, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
The principal objective of the DOE/EPSCoR program is to enhance the abilities of the designated states to conduct nationally competitive energy-related research and to develop science and engineering manpower to meet current and future needs in energy related areas.
This program addresses basic research needs across all of the Department of Energy research interests. The DOE/EPSCoR program is located in the Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering.
The program objective is accomplished by sponsoring two types of grants:
1) Implementation Grants
2) State-Laboratory partnership Grants
Implementation grants are for a maximum period of six years with initial grant period being three years.
The State-Laboratory partnership grants are for a period of one to three years.
Request for Application (RFA) for these grants is published in the Federal Register whenever funds are available for the program.
All grant applications are peer reviewed with respect to the scientific quality, programmatic interest and priority, and relevance to the EPSCoR objective.
To maximize the effectiveness of the program, the development of science and engineering manpower component is closely coupled with the basic research part of the program.
The program places particular emphasis and priority on collaboration by the state faculty with scientists from the DOE national laboratories where unique scientific and technical capabilities are present.
This Program strives to engage other program offices within the department by encouraging participation by program managers from other offices in review process and cofunding of the successful proposals.
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