E-core: nebraska strengthening partnerships for innovation, research, and education

The National Science Foundation Office of Integrative Activities awarded the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska nine million dollars in cooperative agreement funding on July 15, 2026, supporting the E-CORE: Nebraska Strengthening Partnerships for Innovation, Research, and Education (NSPIRE) project through June 30, 2030. This award operates under CFDA 47.083, Integrative Activities, which builds research capacity and broadens participation in STEM.

NSPIRE establishes a statewide collaborative network to strengthen Nebraska's research infrastructure and workforce readiness by connecting talent across public and private colleges, pre-K-12 students and educators, research institutions, tribal and community colleges, and industry. The project leverages existing quantum materials research supported through NSF EPSCOR and extends specialized resources from urban research centers in Lincoln and Omaha to all regions of the state. The initiative operates through four strategic pillars: an administrative core providing project oversight; a partnerships and collaborations core building platforms connecting industry, government, and education; a research assets and capacity core enhancing physical and human infrastructure for R&D; and an education core addressing workforce development.

Performance occurs in Lincoln, Nebraska. The University of Nebraska's Office of Sponsored Programs administers the cooperative agreement as the prime recipient. Sub-recipients include the University of Nebraska (Office of the President, awarded August 27, 2026), the University of Nebraska child entity (awarded August 25, 2026), Southeast Community College Area's Lincoln Campus (awarded August 20, 2026), and Creighton University in Omaha (awarded August 18, 2026), participating in the collaborative research and education delivery across the state network.

Abstract

The E-core: nebraska strengthening partnerships for innovation, research, and education (NSPIRE) project is dedicated to building a statewide collaborative network designed to bolster nebraska?S research infrastructure, economic growth, and workforce readiness. By bridging gaps between generations and geographies, NSPIRE optimizes the research ecosystem?connecting talent at public and private colleges, along with pre-K-12 students and educators, to vital facilities and training. This unified network is designed to elevate nebraska?S competitiveness in stem fields, ensuring that the specialized resources existent in urban regions such as lincoln and omaha reach all the state?S communities, schools, research institutions, tribal and community colleges, and industry, serving nebraskans along generations from pre-K to gray?. The E-core: nebraska strengthening partnerships for innovation, research, and education (NSPIRE) is a collaborative initiative uniting five partner institutions across the state of nebraska. Dedicated to strengthening the state?S research ecosystem, the project focuses on increasing faculty funding competitiveness, attracting nebraskans to stem careers, and engaging local communities in scientific discovery. Nebraska?S ongoing development of emergent quantum materials is currently supported via NSF epscor and is a national priority that will flourish under this E-core award. The project achieves its vision through four strategic pillars: administrative core: provides the leadership and oversight necessary to guide the project toward its long-term goals; partnerships & collaborations core: builds platforms that connect industry, government, and education (pre-K?12) to expand opportunities across all regions; research assets & capacity core: enhances the physical and human infrastructure required for nebraska organizations to meet ambitious R & D targets; education & workforce development core: fosters statewide networks to broaden access to stem training, career pathways, and professional development. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.