The National Science Foundation's Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NSF EPSCoR) earlier this month awarded $10 million to launch the South Carolina Collaborative Academic Pathways in STEM (SC-CAPS), a statewide initiative to build research capacity and STEM workforce pathways across South Carolina's Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
The funding will launch a statewide initiative to build research capacity and STEM workforce pathways.
"This award represents an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen STEM education across South Carolina while creating clearer pathways for student success, says Christopher Korey, associate provost for student success and biology professor at the College of Charleston who is also a co-principal investigator on the project.
"At the College, we are especially excited about expanding support for students who begin their journeys at two-year institutions and transfer into STEM programs. By building stronger partnerships, advising
SC-CAPS launches with three interconnected cores:
Experiential Learning Core — Engages high school, transfer, and undergraduate students across all 11 campuses to build research skills, expand institutional research capacity, and broaden participation in STEM.
Building STEM Pathways Core — Focuses on retention, on-time graduation, and career readiness through evidence-based strategies including articulation agreements, high school bridge programs, enhanced advising, and peer mentoring.
Faculty and Institutional Growth Core — Supports faculty development through institutional commitments and programmatic initiatives designed to strengthen research competitiveness and secure long-term sustainability.
Beyond the three cores, SC-CAPS opens additional capacity-
The grant is awarded to SCRA and will be led by Dr. Nadim Aziz, South Carolina EPSCoR Director, who serves as Principal Investigator and Project Director. SC-CAPS connects a network of 11 academic institutions: Anderson University, Coastal Carolina University, Coker University, College of Charleston, Furman University, Lander University, Presbyterian College, South Carolina State University, University of South Carolina Upstate, Voorhees University, and Winthrop University.
The SC-CAPS grant represents the culmination of several months of collaborative work across the state," says Aziz. "Thanks to this $10 million NSF EPSCoR investment, we will build a collaborative network among these institutions to strengthen South Carolina's research capacity and STEM workforce pathways and build a sustainable future in both areas."