E-CORE RII: Louisiana Networks of Excellence for Tomorrow

Louisiana has a diverse higher education ecosystem, which includes over 60 colleges comprised of a mixture of public and private, four-year and two-year institutions. The vision of this project is to build and sustain strong networks of collaboration, communication, and partnership among the jurisdiction’s institutions of higher education, thus expanding and diversifying the research ecosystem of the jurisdiction. The project aims to connect all stakeholders to the various resources, facilities, and opportunities available in the State. Additionally, key project activities will include mentoring programs, competitive graduate student scholarships and fellowships, and K-12 outreach activities. The result will be a collaborative environment that brings transformative changes to the research ecosystem in Louisiana. The Louisiana Board of Regents will lead this initiative in partnership with Louisiana State University and A&M College, Louisiana Tech University, Southern University and A&M College, and the University of New Orleans. The Louisiana Networks of Excellence for Tomorrow project will drive this transformation of the Research & Development ecosystem through coordination, facilitation, and capacity building in strategic areas identified by Louisiana’s Science and Technology (S&T) Plan – Fostering Innovation through Research in Science and Technology in Louisiana (FIRST Louisiana 2030). The project’s investments and activities will enhance “Networks of Excellence” in the S&T areas of materials & manufacturing, bioscience & biotechnology, energy solutions, and environmental solutions, bolstered by the cross-cutting areas of data, computational science, and cybersecurity. The resulting research ecosystem will catalyze competitive research and contribute to a diverse and technically competent workforce in the jurisdiction. The goals of this project are designed to realize this vision and dramatically increase the involvement of constituencies currently underrepresented in the research enterprise. Project goals directly address some of the challenges facing institutions of higher education in Louisiana, and the associated objectives are carefully calibrated to deliver measurable advances to overcome these challenges. This project is supported by the EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: EPSCoR Collaborations for Optimizing Research Ecosystems (E-CORE). E-CORE supports jurisdictions in strengthening their jurisdiction-wide research ecosystems through fostering interconnected networks, building research infrastructure, and growing research capacity and competitiveness aligned with jurisdictional priorities. 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.