Return to Main Menu

NSF awards $9 million to SC collaborative research program MUSC will split a $9 million federal grant with Clemson University to boost collaborative research on everything from tissue-engineered heart valves to nanoparticles that track contamination in meat.  The funding is through a federal-state-university partnership called the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). “Our goal is to maximize the potential in our state’s science and technology resources and use those resources as a foundation for economic growth,” said Larry Druffel, South Carolina National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR project director, who also serves as the president and director, CEO of the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA).   “We need to capitalize on the research strengths of our universities to meet our strategic objectives of participating in the knowledge-based economy. While most people recognize that the research might help us personally—for example, Clemson and MUSC’s work on arterial patches—they may not realize that the work could also help attract businesses to the state.” The South Carolina EPSCoR Program received the three-year, $9 million award from the NSF. The award will strengthen existing research excellence in structural and chemical biology at MUSC and nanoscience and bioengineering at Clemson, and will support the hire of 15 new tenure-track faculty, enhance graduate and undergraduate education and stimulate the development of knowledge-based, high-tech endeavors in South Carolina. Achieving critical mass in key areas helps the universities compete aggressively for highly sought-after federal and private research funding. Since 1994, the state’s universities have received more than $44 million from EPSCoR—yielding more than $107 million in related research grants. MUSC will use the award to hire five new faculty members to expand its capacity in chemical and structural biology and provide new expertise for the determination of biomolecular structures, both of which are necessary requirements for cutting-edge research in the biomedical sciences. MUSC researchers will continue their studies of the structure and function of biological molecules, including DNA, protein and lipids, or fat molecules. These studies will ultimately lead to the development of new drugs that can prevent and treat diseases such as lung and colon cancers. At Clemson, the EPSCoR money will be used to hire six new faculty members in Clemson’s nationally recognized nanomaterials and nanotechnology programs. Current projects include using bioactive nanoparticles to flush bacteria from live poultry and other particles to detect contamination once the meat has reached market. Clemson will also hire four new faculty members in bioengineering to establish and operate a division of its bioengineering department at MUSC. Clemson researchers are already working with MUSC on projects such as arterial patches, next-generation heart valves and a non-invasive imaging system that provides more detailed views that traditional X-rays. “This award is a major boost for two significant research areas at Clemson, advanced materials and bioengineering,” said Christian E. G. Przirembel, vice president for research at Clemson University. “This is a fantastic opportunity to invest in new faculty members, our most critical resource.” Clemson is moving forward on a plan to move its nanotechnology group to an 82,000-square-foot research complex being built by the SCRA in its research park off Interstate 85. Approximately $1 million of EPSCoR funding will be used to develop and initiate Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) projects and to support collaborative research opportunities among the faculty at South Carolina’s four-year colleges and historically black colleges and universities and those residing within the state’s three Ph.D.-granting institutions (MUSC, Clemson and the University of South Carolina). Established in 1980, the South Carolina EPSCoR Program was the first statewide program to achieve permanent improvements in the state’s research environment, strengthening and enhancing the research infrastructure within academic departments and programs at the state’s three Ph.D. granting universities. In addition to the NSF, EPSCoR has programs within the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institutes of Health, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the departments of Defense, Energy, Agriculture and Commerce. The South Carolina General Assembly has recognized the South Carolina EPSCoR Program as a model federal-state-university partnership and has provided $2 to $2.5 million per year to help meet required cost share commitments.