Description

The EPSCoR and IDeA programs are merit-based federal/state/institutional partnerships designed to build the research infrastructure in South Carolina primarily through funding new hires of top-tier faculty and start-up equipment purchases.  These improvements enhance research quality, thereby making the institutions and their faculty more competitive in securing federal, state, and private sector research dollars.  These activities are ensuring South Carolina's role in the national move toward increased global competitiveness, as called for in the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI).

EPSCoR program funding is offered by six federal agencies: Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, and the Environmental Protection Agency.  The IDeA program in South Carolina is comprised of the INBRE program and the COBRE program and is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

SC EPSCoR/IDeA encourages collaborative and complementary research among the state's three PhD granting institutions (Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the University of South Carolina) and predominately undergraduate institutions including Furman University, Claflin University, the College of Charleston, Winthrop University, and South Carolina State University (the state's largest public historically black university).

  

Oversight

The South Carolina EPSCoR/IDeA program is monitored by several committees both internal and external.

State Committee
The State Committee makes all policy and major programmatic decisions for the state's portfolio of EPSCoR/IDeA programs.

Executive Committee
The Executive Committee convenes monthly to review and establish periodic goals and arrangements to ensure alignment with South Carolina EPSCoR/IDeA's strategic plan.

INBRE Steering Committee
The INBRE Steering Committee meets every six weeks to ensure that program goals and achievements are in line with the INBRE program's strategic goals.