The South Carolina EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Award will enhance the research infrastructure in nanoscience, structural and chemical biology, and bioengineering by adding a critical mass of researchers to these targeted areas. The goal is to improve South Carolina's R&D competitiveness through the continued development and use of science and technology resources in the three major research universities (Clemson University, University of South Carolina, and the Medical University of South Carolina) and through productive, long-term partnerships between academia, government, and the private sector. This project will enhance nanomaterials research at Clemson University in collaboration with the University of South Carolina, expand bioengineering/biomaterials research at Clemson University, develop and upgrade biomolecular structure research at the Medical University of South Carolina, and establish and expand statewide initiatives in education/outreach. Outreach initiatives to support interfaces with the state's four-year colleges, HBCUs and the private sector will also result from this funding. Collaborative opportunities between faculty from HBCUs and those residing within the major research universities will further develop the state's research enterprise.
Faculty hires in the nanomaterials/nanotechnology program at Clemson University will complement existing expertise in the state, benefit graduate and undergraduate education, and serve to stimulate the further development of the emerging knowledge-based, high-tech economy in South Carolina. The Medical University of South Carolina will expand its biomolecular structure capacity and develop chemical biology through the addition of five new faculty. Partnerships with the College of Charleston and interactions with state and federal agencies will add synergism and competitiveness in additional areas of research. The bioengineering/biomaterials program will be used to establish a branch of the Clemson University Bioengineering Department at the Medical University of South Carolina staffed with new Clemson University bioengineering hires, and add new faculty at Clemson with expertise in molecular biology.
