History of Oklahoma EPSCoR Funding

The Oklahoma EPSCoR program helps build the research competitiveness of Oklahoma ’s universities through strategic support of research instruments and facilities, research collaborations, integrated education and research programs, and high-performance computer networks. The success of the National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR program had lead to the development of six other EPSCoR programs within federal agencies (DOD, DOE, EPA, NASA, NIH, and USDA). NSF EPSCoR awards have allowed for the development of research groups or centers including Plant Virus Biodiversity and Ecology (PVBE), Nanoscale Materials Science and Engineering, the Oklahoma Network for Nanostructured Materials (NanoNet), the Functional Genomics Resources Consortium,  the Oklahoma Biotechnology Network, the Center for Environmental Applications of the Oklahoma Mesonet and the Center for Photonic and Electronic Materials and Devices.

ACTIVE NSF EPSCoR AWARDS:

Research Infrastructure Improvement Award - $9 million (2005-2008)

Oklahoma was awarded a renewal of its 2002 NSF EPSCoR award at the funding level of $6 million, with additional matching funds of $3 million from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. The three-year grant provides the resources necessary for the state to become nationally competitive in nanotechnology and plant virus biodiversity and ecology research.  Annual conferences for these two areas of research are held in mid-May on the Oklahoma State University campus.  

 

Oklahoma EPSCoR has made substantial investments in nanotechnology via the Oklahoma Network for Nanostructured Materials (NanoNet).  The NanoNet is a statewide group of 60 science nad engineering faculty, their students, and industrial researchers.  The major emphasis in nanoscale materials are in the following areas: carbon nanotubes, fuel cell materials, novel nanoscale devices and interfaces of nano and bio materials.  

 

Viruses are associated with almost every known organism, yet we have discovered only a small fraction of this diversity.  Concentrating on the Nature Conservancy’s 39,000-acre Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, we  are exploring virus-host interactions, their geographic distributions, and the principles that govern them.

 

Edcuation and human resources outreach programs are an integral part of the grant with initiatives that aim to stregthen the human resources infrastructure available for Oklahoma emerging high-tech workforce.  The comprehensive EHR initiatives include: student development (K-12 & Postsecondary), faculty development, entrepreneurship, and public outreach.  All initiatives are designed to encourage the participation of women and individuals from underrepresented groups, including Native Americans.

 


OTHER ACTIVE EPSCoR AWARDS:


 

Return on Investment

Since FY01, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education have invested $11.4 million for new EPSCoR projects, leveraging $31.6 million in federal EPSCoR and IDeA funding.  University participants in Oklahoma EPSCoR programs over this time period have invested $5.6 million towards EPSCoR projects in Oklahoma.  An additional $83 million in federal funds were also awarded to Oklahoma where no state commitment was required, bringing the five-year award total for Oklahoma EPSCoR to approximately $132 million.

 

 

PAST NSF EPSCoR AWARDS:

Phase III and IV 1995-2002, Two Cooperative Agreements ($8 million NSF, $7.5 million state match) established three inter-institutional science and technology centers that brought together and built upon the existing research strengths in Oklahoma universities and provided the critical mass of researchers and facilities to make the Centers nationally competitive with first-rank programs. The Oklahoma Biotechnology Network and the Center for Photonic and Electronic Materials and Devices built upon existing strong research clusters established in earlier EPSCoR programs. The Center for the Environmental Applications of the Oklahoma Mesonet was built on a unique automated statewide environmental data acquisition system. The three Centers became self-sufficient and graduated from EPSCoR support by the end of the award period.

Phase II 1992-1995, Advanced Development Program ($4.26 million NSF, $4.5 million state match) established research clusters in five areas: plant biotic stress; advanced materials for photonics, lasers and electro-optics; electronic properties of materials; surface hydrology; and rock fluid interactions in crustal rocks. The program involved 50 scientists, 147 students, and 33 post-docs. Cluster scientists won $16.7 million in external funding during 1992-94 and established collaborative links with eighteen industries, federal and private labs.

Phase I 1986-1991,($3 million NSF funds,$3 million state match)  targeted individuals researchers. The program supported 49 scientists, 8 post-docs, 87 graduate students and 37 undergraduates. During this phase, the average annual external support per scientist increased from under $7 thousand to more than $30 thousand and the publication rate from 1.5 to 2.9 refereed publication per year.

 

IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) - $17.95 million (FY04) NIH IDeA recently awarded Oklahoma approximately $17.95 million over five years beginning July 2004 to establish an IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence, with the goal of increasing the number of NIH-funded scientists in biomedical research statewide. The OK INBRE encompasses fourteen higher education institutions, including five research institutions, six primarily undergraduate campuses and three community colleges.  The OK INBRE supports major research projects in the areas of microbiology and immunology, cancer, and neuroscience. Cores and facilities include a Bioinformatics Core, supporting the science of understanding the structure and function of genes and proteins through advanced, computer-aided statistical analysis and pattern discovery; an Imaging Core that conducts research using live animal magnetic resonance imaging; and an Outreach Core that will increase the number of undergraduates involved in STEM research programs.



INBRE 2005 Summer research student

 

Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE)

 

$12 million (FY04)

This COBRE awarded to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation is Oklahoma’s sixth such award, the most awarded to any IDeA state.  The $12 million award will explore the molecular mechanisms and genetics of autoimmune diseases.

 

$20 million (FY03)

In FY03, Oklahoma received notification of award for two COBRE grants, one to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) and one to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF).  At OMRF the $10 million grant focuses on projects involving glycosylation, the addition of sugar chains to molecules during or after synthesis.  At OUHSC, the Center is taking a multidisciplinary approach to study microbial biofilm formation on natural and artificial dental surfaces.

 

$11.2 million (FY02)

The OUHSC received a COBRE grant in 2002 for ?b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Mentoring Vision Research in Oklahoma?which will help bring us closer to finding cures for blindness and the many diseases associated with it.  The grant is a collaboration of comprehensive research universities and Langston University.

 

$20.5 million (FY00)

The $20.5 million over five years was the largest amount awarded to any state for this first round of COBRE competition. The award supports scientists at other major research institutions in Oklahoma and establishes the Center for Functional Genomics/Proteomics for Bacterial/Host Interactions at OUHSC.  This Center examines how infectious microorganisms cause disease and how the human host responds to this infection.  The OMRF grant, entitled “Mentoring Immunology in Oklahoma: A Biomedical Program provides mentoring to junior faculty, starter grants and joint research projects.


NASA EPSCoR

In November 2001, Oklahoma was awarded approximately $1,500,000 over three years from NASA EPSCoR. This award was recently renewed for an additional two years, bringing the total award to nearly $5.5 million.  The grant funds the development of a wastewater treatment process for future manned space flights, and research for improvements in photocells for power production and lithium batteries for power storage.  The OSRHE provided $1.4 million in matching funds for the award.

 

Department of Energy (DOE) EPSCoR

Oklahoma State University is the recipient of a three-year award from the DOE EPSCoR program in the amount of $1.1 million, matched by $525k from the OSRHE and $1.8 million from the participating institutions for a Center of High Energy Physics .  The Center is a collaboration between OSU, OU Norman and Langston University.

 

DEPSCoR

The DEPSCoR program awarded Oklahoma research university investigators $3.8 millio n for FY03-FY05, matched by $670k from the OSRHE and $1.5 million in university matching funds, bringing the total to $5.9 million.

        

For More Contact Information: Please see below and visit our contact page

Dr. Frank Waxman
State Director
Phone: 405.225.9459
FAX: 405.225.9230
Email: fwaxman@osrhe.edu		 Dr. James P. Wicksted
Associate Director
Phone: 405.744.9964
FAX: 405.744.7688
E-mail: james.wicksted@okstate.edu
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