EPIIC Quarterly

At Northeast State Community College’s reverse career fair, students took center stage as employers moved from booth to booth to learn about their skills, projects, and career goals. The event flipped the traditional hiring format to give students a chance to showcase themselves more directly and build one-on-one connections with local companies.

How Three Community Colleges Built Momentum Through BOOST

Spartanburg, Northeast State, and Tidewater Community Colleges are strengthening employer partnerships, improving workforce alignment, and building a collaboration they hope will last beyond the grant.

At the 2025 PI Meeting, sessions like this showed how valuable cohort meetings and brainstorming can be. The Connect Four project recently held its first Faculty Fellows meeting, where members shared strategies and tips for building industry partnerships.

Faculty Fellows Model Gains Momentum Across Connect Four

A recent Connect Four meeting offered a closer look at how EPIIC Faculty Fellows are helping campuses strengthen industry partnerships, expand student opportunities, and build infrastructure designed to last beyond the grant. The session also showed how regular cross-campus exchange is helping fellows share strategies, solve problems, and shape this role in real time.

Ahmed Kamel, Professor in the Department of Petroleum Engineering speaks at the inaugural

UTPB Launches “Lightning Talks” to Advance EPIIC ARISE Effort

Through its new series, the University of Texas Permian Basin is creating a regular forum for faculty to share ideas, explore collaboration, and connect research to regional opportunity. The effort is one more way the university is advancing the goals of the EPIIC ARISE project and strengthening its innovation ecosystem.

NSF TIP Introductory webinar: AI-Ready America Program

Join NSF on April 14 for an introductory webinar on NSF TechAccess: AI-Ready America, a new funding opportunity aimed at expanding access to AI knowledge, tools, training, and capacity-building nationwide. The program seeks to launch AI-ready coordination hubs in every U.S. state and territory. During the webinar, NSF staff and federal partners will outline the program’s goals, eligibility, and application process, followed by a moderated Q&A.

Finding Funding: Strategies and Tools for Your Search

Many research projects depend on external funding and institutional support, but identifying the right opportunities can be difficult—especially for early-career researchers and those in settings where grant seeking is not a standard expectation. Learn more about strategies and best practices for finding funding.

Check Out the EPIIC Resources Page and Discussion Board

Looking to explore useful resources and connect with others in the EPIIC community? Log in to access the resources page and discussion board, available exclusively to EPIIC awardees. Once you’re in, browse resources and join the conversation about upcoming meetings, past or future EPIIC Community Conversations, or anything else you’d like to share with the community.