E-CORE RII: Rhode Island Inclusive Network for Excellence in Science and Technology

Bolstered by thirteen Institutions of Higher Education, Rhode Island (RI) has long been an engine for scientific and technological innovation, from catalyzing the Industrial Revolution in 1790 to developing the first offshore wind farm in the U.S. in 2015. Continuing these institutions’ mission to enable a thriving, informed citizenry, this project will strengthen research infrastructure and capacity in RI. Led by the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, Roger Williams University, Brown University, and the Rhode Island School of Design, the project will focus initially on building capacity in sciences related to RI’s blue economy. Once established, this network will further support life science and public health, energy, advanced materials, and food innovation and technology, aligning with the five research and workforce development themes in RI’s Science and Technology Plan. With research and educational facilities in close proximity, RI is emerging as an economic development leader in these areas. This project will position the state’s institutions, the Narragansett Indian Tribe, and government, community, and industry partners to sustain use-inspired research, and economic growth into the future. The project has four main goals: 1) Strengthen workforce development by broadening research and education capacity; 2) Catalyze partnerships by seeding varied, use-inspired research collaborations; 3) Strengthen science translation by implementing science communication; and 4) Provide for a robust administration of coordinated E-CORE and broader science and technology activity in the state. The Rhode Island (RI) Inclusive Network for Excellence in Science and Technology (RII-NEST) project will enable RI and the Narragansett Indian Tribe (NIT) and its people to develop and maintain a sustainable, and competitive research ecosystem that supports use-inspired science & technology and workforce development. Project goals will be met through implementation of four research infrastructure cores: Administration, Workforce Development, Partnership, and Science Communications. These cores will develop and sustain a competitive research ecosystem that supports use-inspired S&T and workforce development. Led by the University of Rhode Island, in collaboration with Brown University, Rhode Island College, Roger Williams University, and the Rhode Island School of Design, RII-NEST aligns with the strategic plans of participating institutions as well as state and national priorities. The multi-institutional RII-NEST leadership team will collaborate with the RI Science and Technology Advisory Council (RI STAC), also serving as the RI EPSCoR Jurisdictional Steering Committee, to reinvigorate and grow the RI Research Alliance. RII-NEST will develop capacity, programming, platforms, and partnerships that sustain and grow over time. To reach this goal, RII-NEST will: 1) Institutionalize research infrastructure support programs that serve the whole jurisdiction; 2) Implement seed and planning grants that lead to the submission of collaborative proposals that strengthen and grow the S&T ecosystem; 3) Generate institutional and partner commitments that sustain key RII-NEST activities; and 4) Enhance the leadership, expertise, and benefit of RII-NEST programs and approaches across the jurisdiction by engaging a broad range of institutions. This project is funded by the NSF EPSCoR Collaborations for Optimizing Research Ecosystems (E-CORE) RII Program. The E-CORE RII program supports jurisdictions in building capacity in one or more targeted research infrastructure cores that underlie the jurisdiction’s research ecosystem. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.