History of EPSCOR
History of NSF EPSCoR
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Act of 1950 recognized the value of a broad science and engineering ecosystem across all jurisdictions (states and other U.S. entities). Over time, however, the distribution of research funds became concentrated in a few geographical areas. In response to this imbalance, the National Science Board created a task force in 1977 to examine the geographical distribution of funds. In FY79, the National Science Board approved a resolution that created the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) to ensure NSF was meeting the spirit of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950.
The first sets of NSF EPSCoR awards were made in 1979, and the name was updated in 2017 to the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. The main NSF research infrastructure improvement (RII) award is the RII Track-1 cooperative agreement. The Track-1 program is a federal-state partnership, which requires a state financial commitment or match to compete for the federal dollars. The Track-1 is a jurisdictional award meant to build research capacity and competitiveness across the entire state.
NSF EPSCoR has evolved since its inception. Today, the expectation and requirement for funding of a Track-1 cooperative agreement is that a state jurisdiction provide a proposal and a plan whereby the research (intellectual merit) is fully integrated with the education outreach, broadening participation, workforce development, partnerships and collaborations, and communication dissemination to the public components/broader impacts. The motivation for increased integration between research activities and the programmatic elements is to develop a fully trained and diversified workforce to position the state’s national competitiveness and to broaden and sustain economic growth at the state level beyond the funding provided by the NSF.
History of ND EPSCoR
North Dakota received its first NSF EPSCoR award in 1986, and since that time North Dakota has been continually funded by NSF and continuously funded by North Dakota. EPSCoR has always been a federal-state partnership, and the North Dakota Legislature has been very supportive for the past three decades in providing the cash match for the RII Track-1 cooperative agreement.
In the early years, the emphasis was on building research infrastructure and capacity, primarily at the state’s two research universities (RUs: North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota). Since that time, ND EPSCoR has expanded its scope. Beginning with the 2014-2021 NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 cooperative agreement, funded research partnerships have been formed at each of the five Tribal Colleges/ Universities (TCUs: Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, Sitting Bull College, Turtle Mountain College, and United Tribes Technical College), the three Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs: Dickinson, Mayville, and Valley City State Universities), and the Master’s College/University (MCU: Minot State University). Faculty from each of these institutions work together in the funded research centers.
The ND EPSCoR State Office was established by the North Dakota University System (NDUS) in September 2017. The state office works to administer STEM student pathway development efforts, manage competitive research match dollars in support of STEM programs at participating institutions of higher education across the state, and inform North Dakota stakeholders. Through the support of state funding, the ND EPSCoR State Office is helping generate STEM interests among students, which helps build a diverse, skilled workforce and grow college and university-based research efforts that provide a backbone for the state's scientific and technological enterprise.
The evolution of NSF EPSCoR has expanded STEM activities within North Dakota. ND EPSCoR is a key state partner in research capacity building and other integrated activities at the RUs, the PUIs, the MCU, and the TCUs. Through the efforts of stakeholders like ND EPSCoR, North Dakota is building a high-quality, higher education-based research effort that serves as the backbone of the state’s scientific and technological enterprise, ensuring a strong and stable economic base for the future.