Discovery Classroom at CEED Building with NSF and EPIIC logos

NSF EPIIC ARISE

Advancing Regional Innovation Through Sustainable Engagement

The University of Texas Permian Basin has been awarded a competitive grant from the National Science Foundation through the Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) program. This prestigious initiative supports institutions in strengthening their role within regional innovation ecosystems by building meaningful partnerships and enhancing research capacity.

UTPB will use this opportunity to expand its innovation infrastructure, develop new collaborations with industry and community partners, and connect students with hands-on, real-world research experiences.

Diagram of the EPIIC ARISE model, showing a circular flow between internal and external capacity building activities. On the left side, internal activities 'flow out of the institution' and include Grants Assistance, Professional Learning, and Faculty P and T/Incentives. On the right, external activities 'flow into the institution' and include Front Door, Rapid Response, and Strategic Outreach.

NSF EPIIC Program Background

The NSF EPIIC (Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity) program aims to broaden participation in innovation ecosystems that advance key technologies (e.g., advanced manufacturing, advanced wireless, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum information science, semiconductors, novel materials, and microelectronics) by supporting capacity-building efforts at institutions of higher education (IHEs) interested in growing external partnerships.

Creation of this program is motivated by the commitment of the National Science Foundation (NSF), including the newly established NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP), to accelerate scientific and technological innovation nationwide and empower all Americans to participate in the U.S. research and innovation enterprise. Establishing more inclusive innovation ecosystems will require broad networks of partners working together in support of use-inspired research; the translation of such research to practice or commercial application; and the development of a skilled workforce. The NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program, housed within the TIP Directorate, seeks to grow inclusive innovation ecosystems around the country. Growing such ecosystems will only be successful if all interested IHEs within a region are able to participate and contribute their unique set of skills and expertise. However, NSF appreciates many Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), and two-year institutions lack the infrastructure and resources needed to grow external partnerships and effectively contribute to innovation ecosystems, and thus are currently unable to effectively engage with the NSF Engines program.

This award aims to provide MSIs, PUIs, and two-year institutions with limited or no research capacity with the support necessary to become equitable partners with teams competing under the current and subsequent NSF Engines program funding opportunities. Importantly, participation in this solicitation is not predicated on an existing partnership with organizations submitting an NSF Engines proposal. Rather, it is expected that the capacity-building efforts funded under this solicitation will provide significant innovation partnership opportunities irrespective of future participation in an NSF Engine.

MORE INFO @ NSF

About the NSF EPIIC ARISE Award

A cohort of five primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) from across the country has aligned efforts to enhance their capacity to develop applied research partnerships with local innovation ecosystem partners, including industry, government, and other educational institutions. The ARISE cohort has established plans to enhance each institution’s ability to prepare for, and successfully execute applied research partnerships to strengthen each institution’s role in regional innovation and economic development. Additionally, the cohort will create an internal assessment tool that will allow each university to assess and improve its capacity to execute these university-industry partnerships that will advance each member’s engagement in its regional innovation ecosystem.

Collectively, the ARISE cohort will showcase best practices for PUIs to catalyze workforce development and industry research and development (R&D) projects supported by each institution’s faculty and administration to match university research expertise with regional R&D demands, now and in the future. ARISE member institutions share the common goal of increasing their capacity to support R&D activities in partnership with regional industries. With improved institutional capacity, each institution will be able to leverage their assets to engage with regional industry and governmental partners at the speed of business to support workforce and economic development. Cohort members will support one another through shared best practices, regular meetings, and a regional meeting that will include industry representatives. Each cohort member has developed a plan to create new capacity via both internal and external programming to engage with regional industry and governmental partners at the speed of business to support workforce and economic development.

Additionally, the cohort will create an internal assessment tool that will allow each university to assess and improve its capacity to execute these university-industry partnerships that will advance each member’s engagement in its regional innovation ecosystem As a result of this work, each cohort institution will become more able to take on regional leadership roles in emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing) and, ultimately, to become more active leaders and partners in economic development in their respective regions. 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.

MORE INFO @ NSF EPIIC

NSF EPIIC ARISE Award Partner Institutions

UTPB Principal Investigators

Investigators
Principal Investigator Brian Shedd, Ph.D. Executive Director Office of Innovation & Commercialization
Co-Principal Investigator Raj Dakshinamurthy, Ph.D. Provost/Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Academic Affairs
Co-Principal Investigator Seyed Ghiaasiaan, Ph.D. Assistant Professor College of Engineering and Sciences Department of Mechanical Engineering

Reach out to collaborate with us on this exciting initiative!

All those interested in collaborating with us on this award are encouraged to reach out - industry, faculty, student, administrators, independents, community members - there are opportunities to work together to maximize the impact of this award to benefit our local innovation ecosystem.

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How the Program Works at UPTB

UTPB is aligning its faculty expertise and student talent with the needs of our regional and industry
partners. The process includes:

Identifying Strategic Needs: Understanding innovation challenges faced by community and
industry stakeholders
Engaging Faculty & Students: Connecting research interests and academic programs to those challenges
Creating Collaborative Projects: Developing initiatives that provide mutual value—solving
problems while supporting educational goals
Measuring Impact: Tracking project outcomes to demonstrate effectiveness and sustainability

This framework ensures that all collaborations support UTPB’s academic mission while contributing to longterm regional growth.

Partners & Collaborators

UTPB is proud to work with a network of partners across West Texas and beyond, including:

Industry leaders in energy, healthcare, and technology
Regional economic development organizations
Peer institutions and research collaborators

These relationships are vital to ensuring our projects meet real-world needs and make a measurable difference.

Opportunities for Students and Faculty

This program supports:

Student research placements on funded projects
Faculty-led innovation initiatives with external partners
Workforce development tied to regional industry needs
Workshops, training, and mentorship for all participants

Whether you're a student looking to gain applied experience or a faculty member ready to build an industry partnership, EPIIC provides a strong foundation for success.

Project Timeline

UTPB's EPIIC project began in October of 2025 and will continue through 2028. Current milestones include:

Partnership development and needs assessment (2026)
Launch of pilot projects and student placements (2027)
Evaluation and sustainability planning (2028)

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