NSF EPIIC ARISE: Building Innovation Partnerships at UTPB

Year 1 Activities

• UTPB Faculty/Staff Survey to Assess Current Partnering Capacity Perceptions
  • Executive Summary Report

The UTPB NSF EPIIC ARISE team conducted an anonymous survey from January through March 2026 as part of the NSF EPIIC ARISE award to assess faculty and staff perceptions of UTPB’s capacity to collaborate with external organizations. The survey consisted of five questions and received 21 responses—16 from faculty and 5 from staff.

• Stakeholder Communication Workshop
  • Workshop Agenda

A major goal for the project was the creation of a University-Wide Partnership Program to create a coordinated partnership infrastructure that clearly communicates university capabilities and serves as a gateway for external organizations seeking collaboration. The target participants for this partnership program are individuals at UTPB that have externally-facing roles and are already engaged in partnership development for the university in some capacity. As a first step in gathering together the necessary stakeholders at UTPB who would be involved in the partnership program, a strategic communication consultant was engaged to lead this group in a day-long strategic communication workshop.

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

UTPB NSF EPIIC ARISE Program Objectives

• A collaborative, university-wide partnership program to help effectively communicate UTPB’s capabilities and interests to potential external partners
• Institutional capability to support faculty and staff in their collaborative research and partnering activities
• Frameworks for establishing new partnerships with external organizations (industry, academic, and governmental)
• Expanding institutional perspective on partnering, considering collaborative research with R1/R2 institutions, governmental labs, and industry

UTPB NSF EPIIC ARISE Activities