 EPSCoR
The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research
The mission of Arkansas EPSCoR Program is to enhance research funding at the national level by scientists and groups in Arkansas and to encourage the development of initiatives supportive of this mission. Arkansas EPSCoR through the years has worked collaboratively with other state groups and organizations that focus on fostering economic growth in Arkansas through the essential building blocks of the knowledge-based economy (knowledge creation through research and development, intellectual property development, commercialization of new technologies, growth of entrepreneurial knowledge-based firms, knowledge workforce and evolution of clusters of such firms) to help create an environment supporting entrepreneurship and continuous innovation.
In keeping with this mission, the Arkansas EPSCoR state committee has the following objectives:
• Develop strategies to increase building of necessary infrastructure (both facilities and human resources) at state universities;
• Develop statewide plans for enhancing competitiveness in research; and
• Support R&D efforts that contribute to both excellence in science and engineering and an enhanced Arkansas economy.
In keeping with this mission and its collaborative nature, the Arkansas Science & Technology Authority (Authority) assists the Arkansas EPSCoR committee by:
• Serving as a liaison between the Arkansas EPSCoR advisory committee and the Governor's Office.
• Coordinating the EPSCoR program's state activities and disseminating information to researchers regarding funding opportunities.
• Providing an administrative structure to facilitate similar activities at each of the research institutions in the state and to be a resource for undergraduate institutions statewide.
• Functioning as an advocate of, and a source for information on, university research for the Arkansas legislature and for the Congressional delegation.
• Planning, promoting, influencing, and supporting with high quality programs and services the commercialization of research innovations, thereby helping to grow the Arkansas economy and increase per capita income.
• Helping to increase knowledge-based worker jobs through entrepreneurship and new company formation.
For the purpose of R&D planning, the Authority makes the following assumptions:
• The context for R&D is economic growth.
• Economic growth is driven by investments in innovation and human capital.
• The key partners in achieving economic growth are existing and emerging technology (or knowledge-based) firms, research universities, and the educational infrastructure.
• The roles of the key partners are to create businesses, high paying jobs, and wealth by commercializing innovations; to produce innovations and knowledge workers; and to focus limited resources on the best research and development opportunities for existing and emerging technology firms.
Alignment with state strategies and the state's R&D and economic development plans . In 2005-06, as researchers initiated the planning stage for the 2007 EPSCoR submission, a number of key elements were stressed. Researchers and the Executive Management Team of Arkansas ASSET Initiative that were formulating and developing the proposal in preparation for the October 6, 2006 submission were vigilant to align the research plan with the key objectives correlated with the state's R&D and economic development plans:
• Establishing multi-university partnerships for research clusters and collaboration between universities.
• Targeting research initiatives that build or improve sustainable S&T infrastructure, at the state and institutional level, used to increase R&D capabilities.
• Developing initiatives that assist in stimulating multi-institutional collaborative research within Arkansas by organizing multi-university centers or “common” research infrastructure partnerships or integrated organizational teams.
• Continuing to implement the “build on strength” philosophy and identifying potential mentors and partners.
• Developing a plan to assist researchers to attract the human and intellectual capital needed to successfully compete for Federal and private sector R&D funding.
• Promoting research will be used to enhance entrepreneurship.
• Promoting initiatives that support “job-creating” research.
In 2007, the Arkansas Science & Technology Authority, with the support of the Arkansas EPSCoR committee, updated the R&D plan targeting the strategic research areas of importance to the state. This summary of research areas of targeted importance is included in Appendix A .
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