Kentucky's relationship with NSF EPSCoR started twenty years ago with a small planning grant. Today, KY NSF EPSCoR has a $4.5 million annual budget and is entering its sixth “phase” of funding infrastructure initiatives across the state.  Kentucky matches the NSF contributions with $1 for every $2 contributed by the agency—forming a true synergistic partnership.

With the help of an expert external consulting group, Kentucky selects cutting-edge research “theme areas” with three-year investment time horizons.  Typically, a core competency already exists within the state in the selected initiative areas.  With the EPSCoR investment to help supplement these initiatives, the theme areas are enabled to then support themselves with other (non-EPSCoR) research funding after three years.  In effect, the EPSCoR program provides a “boost” that enables Kentucky research initiatives to become nationally recognized and self sufficient.

Recent NSF rankings, which examine the amount of federal research grants and contracts awarded to the states, reveal that Kentucky is now ranked 29th—up from 33rd—making it the only state in the nation to move up as many as three spots during the same time period.*  The EPSCoR investment is clearly paying off in Kentucky and helping the state and the NSF EPSCoR program meet its goals by continuing to grow the Commonwealth’s research infrastructure.

*as reported by the Division of Science Resources Statistics

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