EPSCoR Evaluation Released

The National Science Foundation's Directorate for Education and Human Resources has released A Report on the Evaluation of the National Science Foundation's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. The report (NSF 99-115) was prepared under contract by the COSMOS Corporation.

Among the report's findings are:

• The EPSCoR states increased their aggregate share of federal academic R&D awards from 0.25 percent per state in 1980 of total awards to 0.40 percent per state in 1994. In contrast, the non-EPSCoR states' share declined modestly over the same period. A "per state" unit of analysis was used to assess changes in R&D because the number of states participating in the program changed over time as new cohorts of states were added to the program. (See accompanying table)

• The total share of federal academic R&D expenditures the five states designated as EPSCoR eligible received was 1.25% in 1979. In 1994, the total share the 18 states and 1 territory designated as EPSCoR eligible received was 7.65%.

"EPSCoR was associated with a lessening of the undue geographic concentration of R&D in the United States. Although the changes were small in absolute terms, this was a notable accomplishment in an era when research universities in non-EPSCoR states also were thriving and upgrading substantially," the report says.

The evaluation team also made a special inquiry into the research projects funded by EPSCoR from 1992 to 1996. The projects were found to have produced high numbers of subsequent publications and new R&D funding.

Among the report's conclusions are:

• Modifications should be made to the review process of EPSCoR applications with orientation being given to reviewers of EPSCoR proposals.

• Graduation criteria and state or university transition from EPSCoR support should be considered with the possibility of current EPSCoR states' eligibility being reassessed.

Copies of the report can be downloaded from the web by going to NSF's website at http://www.nsf.gov, selecting documents on-line, and then searching under the document number "NSF 99-115."

STATES/COHORT

1980

1985

1988

1990

1992

1994

CHANGE

5 STATES/1979

1.25

1.26

1.14

1.16

1.3

1.58

+.33

8 NEW STATES/1988

3.42

3.54

3.46

3.57

+.15

4 NEW STATES/ 1990

1.62

1.61

1.62

--

2 NEW STATES/1992

0.83

0.88

+.05

TOTAL EPSCoR STATES

1.25

1.26

4.56

6.33

7.21

7.65

PER STATE

0.25

0.25

0.35

0.37

0.38

0.40