Collaborative Research: EPIIC: LInking Vital Ecosystems (LIVE) in Research and Economic Development

About This Grant

This collaborative effort aims to enhance innovation capacity and strengthen regional economic ecosystems by improving university-industry collaboration. This project will help the member institutions build the infrastructure and faculty support systems necessary to translate academic research into real-world applications that benefit local communities and national industries. By developing stronger connections between research, workforce development, and entrepreneurship, the cohort will create new opportunities for faculty, students, and industry partners to solve challenges in areas like defense, mobility, and advanced manufacturing. The project is especially focused on building sustainable partnerships and improving internal systems that allow faculty and staff to pursue industry-aligned research and commercialization efforts. The project focuses on two main goals: first, building internal capacity to manage externally funded research and commercialization projects by implementing a grant management system and Customer Relationship Management platform , and second, expanding the cohort’s industry and cross-regional partnerships by developing an institutional asset map and hosting technology showcase events. The Centrepolis Accelerator will serve as the implementation hub, integrating these tools and leading training programs in grant management and commercialization. Workshops and mentorships will support faculty engagement, while cross-regional events with partner institutions will foster shared learning and project development. These efforts are expected to significantly increase faculty involvement in use-inspired research, grow the university’s research funding portfolio, and expand industry-academic innovation partnerships, especially in fields aligned with national priorities like supply chain resilience and sustainable technology. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.