Rhode Island Science and Technology Council Launches Research Alliance; $1.5 Million to Support Collaborative Research Across State.

Focus on Collaboration, Unprecedented Investment in Research Ushers in New Support for Science, Technology and Innovation

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Rhode Island Science and Technology Council (STAC) has announced the creation of the Rhode Island Research Alliance, a statewide platform for supporting research across the state's academic and commercial research institutions. The Alliance's first move will be the allocation of $1.5 million in new research funding. Funds will be distributed through an independent, competitive award process to advance research that promotes inter-organizational and/or interdisciplinary collaboration, and creates new federal and corporate funding opportunities.

The creation of the Research Alliance and the allocation of new funding for collaborative research were proposed as part of STAC's 2006 recommendations, which were subsequently supported by Governor Donald L. Carcieri and the Rhode Island General Assembly. As part of the 2006 legislative session, Governor Carcieri and General Assembly leadership authorized $1.5 million in state funding to support the Research Alliance and its mission to advance collaborative research.

The Research Alliance will also support research funded through a $6.75 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded to Rhode Island through NSF's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research initiative (EPSCoR).

To administer funds, the Research Alliance will use a competitive granting process and embrace review and evaluation criteria similar to those used by the National Science Foundation. A STAC subcommittee appointed by STAC co-chairs Jeff Seemann and Clyde Briant will be appointed to make recommendations on awards. An external review committee will be established to provide input and recommendations to the STAC subcommittee. Awards will be ratified by the entire Council.

This focus on collaboration and unprecedented investment in research represents a significant shift for Rhode Island, which until now did not have in place a formal strategy for supporting collaborative research.

"The creation of the Rhode Island Research Alliance and the infusion of direct support for Rhode Island's researchers demonstrates that Rhode Island is committed to making science, technology, and innovation central to our leadership agenda," says STAC co-chair Jeff Seemann, Dean of the College of the Environment and Life Sciences at the University of Rhode Island. "By promoting collaboration among the State's research universities, research hospitals, corporations and government agencies, the Alliance will not only support current research, it will strengthen Rhode Island's ability to attract federal and corporate research investment for new projects and spur economic development and job growth."

The Research Alliance will begin accepting funding applications on November 1, 2006. All proposals will be due on November 15, 2006, by 5:00 p.m. Awards, which will be one year in duration, will be presented in early December.

"I commend Governor Carcieri and the leadership of the General Assembly for their strong support of STAC's recommendation that Rhode Island take immediate and deliberate steps to promote collaborative research across the state," says newly appointed STAC co-chair Clyde Briant. "Leadership's swift response to this important issue represents an important step forward for Rhode IslandCoone that will help Rhode Island prepare for a future where science, technology and innovation are central to economic prosperity." Briant also serves as the vice president for Research at Brown University.

In addition to providing funding for collaborative research, the Research Alliance will serve as an advocate for making collaboration a central part of the state's science and technology agenda. Rhode Island is uniquely positioned to leverage its compact geography and densely connected networks to create optimal alignment among its research institutions and organizations, share core resources and expensive equipment, and facilitate face-to-face communication across the state.

About Research Alliance Funding

Of the $1.5 million the Research Alliance will award in 2006, $1 million will be used to support catalytic collaborative research that is well positioned to attract substantial follow-on investment. Rhode Island is home to major research activities across its research colleges and universities, research hospitals, corporations and government agencies. The $1 million is Research Alliance funding will provide a new mechanism for teams of individuals to work together on important and promising research projects.

Eligible projects must be catalytic in nature and clearly lead to major new research opportunities that can be supported by federal agencies, corporations and/or foundations. Projects should also contribute towards current or future economic development of the state through technology development and/or commercialization potential. Applications for these funds must include researchers from at least two institutions. The maximum amount of any given award will be $200K. Proposals must clearly show how the combined efforts of the institutions can lead to results that could not be achieved by either alone. All science and engineering research areas can be considered. Those projects with strong translational components are especially encouraged.

$350,000 in Research Alliance funding will be used to support research infrastructure development being conducted as part of Rhode Island's ESPSCoR program. In 2006, Rhode Island was awarded a $6.75 million EPSCoR grant from the National Science Foundation. The purpose of this award was to catalyze a life sciences research, education and innovation network in support of the state's focus on life science oriented economic development.

A key feature of this award is the establishment of three statewide core facilities. These are the Rhode Island Center for Excellence in the Marine Life Sciences, the Rhode Island Center for Genomics, and the Rhode Island Center for Proteomics. These centers are meant to focus on key research strengths in the state and provide a statewide platform for research that will lead to new expertise and technologies that could be located in Rhode Island. In addition, the state has also recently submitted an EPSCoR proposal to the Department of Energy that focuses on the development of renewable energy resources in the area of biofuels.

EPSCoR-related proposals to the Research Alliance should focus on activities and/or infrastructure developments that significantly advance the research competitiveness of scientists in Rhode Island for federal funding. The maximum amount of any one EPSCoR-related award will be $150,000.

For more information or to apply for Research Alliance funding, visit www.stac.ri.gov or contact Christine Smith at [e-mail].