The mission of Nebraska's Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and Institutional Development Award (IDeA) is to build the state's research capacity and competitiveness, invest in workforce development--especially for underrepresented groups, and foster public-private partnerships in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (the STEM fields), as well as biomedical research.
EPSCoR, a National Science Foundation program, was created by Congress in 1979 to strengthen STEM research and education infrastructure in states that receive a disproportionately low amount of federal research dollars. IDeA is a similar program established by the National Institutes of Health in 1991 for biomedical fields.
Nebraska EPSCoR harnesses talent at the state's universities and colleges to compete for merit-based federal funding that supports research infrastructure and capacity building projects. We contribute to the state's workforce development through educational and research opportunities for K-16 students, graduate students and junior faculty, and spur economic development through partnerships with private industry.
Meet the Nebraska EPSCoR team that's working to conduct this mission.