The National Science Foundation (NSF) Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) has three Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) funding tracks:

• Track-1: Provides up to $4 million per year (for up to five years) for projects critical to the jurisdiction’s science and technology initiative or plan
• Track-2: Focused EPSCoR collaborations involving two or three EPSCoR jurisdictions partnering together
• Track-4: EPSCoR Research Fellows program supporting researchers early in their career

Besides the National Science Foundation, five other federal agencies have EPSCoR (or EPSCoR-like) programs in which South Dakota participates:

• National Air and Space Administration (NASA EPSCoR) with SD Space Grant Consortium
• National Institutes of Health (NIH IDeA INBRE) with South Dakota NIH IDeA (BRIN)
• Department of Energy (DOE EPSCoR)
• Department of Defense (DEPSCoR)
• Department of Agriculture (USDA EPSCoR)

NSF EPSCoR Mission and Goals

The National Science Foundation’s mission of EPSCoR is to assist in its statutory function “to strengthen research and education in science and engineering throughout the United States and to avoid undue concentration of such research and education.”

NSF EPSCoR goals are to:

1. Catalyze research capability across and among jurisdictions;
2. Establish STEM professional development pathways;
3. Broaden participation of diverse groups/institutions in STEM;
4. Effect engagement in STEM at national and global levels; and
5. Impact jurisdictional economic development. 

EPSCoR uses investment strategies to achieve its goal of improving the R&D competitiveness of researchers and institutions within EPSCoR jurisdictions.