The new Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) program, a $20-million initiative created by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), will work to expand the capacity for research, innovation, and career opportunities in technology fields at community colleges and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs).
The program will establish an inclusive ecosystem of higher education institutions by providing training and networking opportunities, both virtually and in person.
Up to 50 institutions participating in the EPIIC program will receive a $400,000 grant over three years to create strategies to advance workforce development, use-inspired research, and the practical applications of research in several emerging technology fields. These include artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum information science, advanced manufacturing, advanced wireless, and semiconductors and microelectronics.
“NSF strives to inspire broad networks of partners to work together to train the next generation of skilled American workers,” NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said in a news release. “This program will build capacity for innovation partnerships across the country and create opportunities for more inclusive participation in entrepreneurships, startups and other commercialization activities that are vital to the U.S. research and innovation enterprise.”
