Collaborative research: epiic: collaborations with high-tech industry partners (chip)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $400,000 Project Grant under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program to Owens State Community College. The grant, titled "EPIIC: Collaborations with High-Tech Industry Partners (CHIP)", aims to create partnerships, develop capacity, and secure future funding to support ongoing efforts in emerging technology fields and regional innovation ecosystems. Key activities include enhancing the college's advisory committee structure, creating a Center for the Future of Work to study workforce challenges, and embedding a Workforce Partnerships Team to facilitate business engagement. The grant period runs from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2027 and is intended to improve the connection between the college and the broader workforce ecosystem, with a focus on innovation, productivity, and individual empowerment in emerging industries.

Abstract

Through the NSF epiic grant, cuyahoga community college (TRI-c), tuskegee university, youngstown state university, madison area technical college, and owens state community college will create partnerships, develop capacity, and secure future funding to support ongoing efforts in emerging technology fields and regional innovation ecosystems. To achieve this goal, the college will enhance its existing advisory committee structure by aligning activities with the business and industry leadership team (bilt) model, creating a center for the future of work, and embedding the workforce partnerships team as the front door to business engagement. The center for the future of work will study and propose solutions to challenges employers are facing regarding candidate scarcity, fewer job applicants overall, technical skills mismatch, interest MIS-match, misalignment between compensation and benefits expectations, changing demographics, employee burnout and mental health, and adapting to hybrid work models. The rapid pace of technological advancement necessitates continuous upskilling and lifelong learning to remain relevant in the future job market. The main goal of this project is to improve the connection between college to the workforce ecosystem. The project will focus partnerships within this ecosystem around innovation, productivity, and individual empowerment in emerging industries. The center for the future of work (CFW) will spearhead the engagement of partnerships to conduct sustained, coordinated research on the challenges facing our workforce ecosystem. The CFW will leverage federal, state, and private funding opportunities to expand the most effective activities, pilot new initiatives, and launch research. The project will address the growing need for workforce development in new and emerging technologies, by leveraging collective strengths and resources that can build sustainable partnerships that benefit our institutions, industry partners, and the broader community. 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 not planned for this award.