The Center of Excellence for Research and Program Innovation (CERPI) at Voorhees University has been awarded $305,000 as part of the National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR Collaborations for Optimizing Research Ecosystems (E-CORE) initiative. The statewide project, South Carolina Collaborative Academic Pathways in STEM (SC-CAPS), is led by the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) and includes eleven colleges and universities working together to strengthen South Carolina’s STEM workforce and research capacity.
As the Principal Investigator (PI) for Voorhees University, Dr. Zhabiz Golkar, Founding Executive Director of the Center of Excellence for Research and Program Innovation (CERPI), will lead the University’s participation in the initiative.
The statewide initiative focuses on expanding STEM experiential learning, strengthening academic pathways, and supporting faculty development and institutional growth. Through this collaboration, participating institutions will provide research experiences, internships, faculty development opportunities, and research infrastructure that enhance student success and increase statewide research competitiveness.
“This award represents an important opportunity to strengthen collaborations across South Carolina while expanding research and experiential learning opportunities for our students, our state, and the nation,” said Dr. Zhabiz Golkar.
Supported through the NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) Program, the E-CORE initiative is designed to build sustainable research ecosystems, foster statewide collaboration, and enhance research infrastructure across EPSCoR jurisdictions.