Federal Cooperative Agreement Summary

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Integrative Activities (CFDA 47.083) awarded $1.72M to The University of Tulsa on July 15, 2026, for the Collaborative Research: E-CORE Oklahoma Research, Innovation, and Opportunity Network project, with completion targeted for June 30, 2030. Led by the University of Oklahoma in partnership with the University of Central Oklahoma, University of Tulsa, Northeastern State University, College of the Muscogee Nation, and the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance, this cooperative agreement establishes a statewide Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) research network spanning Oklahoma's urban centers and tribal territories to enhance research capacity and competitiveness across the state.

The project delivers three integrated core service areas: (1) an Administrative Core providing project management, research development support, and stakeholder communication across participating institutions; (2) a Research Facilities and Infrastructure Core establishing shared access to research equipment, expanding cyberinfrastructure capabilities, and creating support infrastructure for artificial intelligence and machine learning applications; and (3) a Workforce Development Core establishing an academia-industry partnership consortium to fund student internships, scale undergraduate research programs, and develop collaborative industry-academic research opportunities. Through these coordinated services, the network aims to build sustainable research infrastructure, foster innovation across sectors, and drive economic growth by connecting academic institutions, state agencies, industry partners, and community organizations throughout Oklahoma.