SC Commits $30M To University R&D...

South Carolina's three major research universities were awarded a total of $30 million this week to establish the state's first six centers of excellence, according to The State, a Columbia, S.C.-based newspaper.

Created by the state General Assembly during the 2002 legislative session, the Centers of Excellence program annually will endow professorships in research areas that will eventually lead to enhanced economic opportunities for the state. The program is to serve as an incentive for Clemson University, the University of South Carolina (USC) and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) to raise capital from the private sector to support the recruitment and maintenance of leading scientists and engineers whose work will ultimately promote the growth and expansion of knowledge-based industries and the creation of more and better paying employment opportunities for the people of South Carolina.

The six centers, selected competitively by the 12-member Centers of Excellence Review Board from the 27 proposals received, include:

• $10 million for an automotive research partnership between Clemson and BMW Inc., with a promise of $5 million from next year's lottery;
• $4 million for marine genomics research at MUSC;
• $4 million for research in proteomics at MUSC;
• $3 million for a neuroscience initiative at MUSC;
• $4 million for nanotechnology research at USC; and,
• $5 million for a brain-imaging project involving MUSC and USC.

Annual funding for the program comes from the South Carolina lottery proceeds. The three universities are required to match the funds on a one-to-one basis within 18 months. During the first year of an award, matching funds for endowed professorships must be raised from the private sector and may not include state or federal monies.

More information on the Centers of Excellence program is available from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, which administers the program: http://www.che400.state.sc.us/