Collaborative research: epiic: linking vital ecosystems (LIVE) in research and economic development

The University of Puerto Rico's Office of External Resources received a $399,998 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084), effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028. The award supports the collaborative EPIIC: Linking Vital Ecosystems (LIVE) initiative, which delivers institutional capacity-building infrastructure and systems to strengthen university-industry collaboration and research commercialization. Core deliverables include implementation of a grant management system and customer relationship management platform to manage externally-funded research projects, development of an institutional asset map to identify internal capabilities, and establishment of the Centrepolis Accelerator as the central implementation hub for integrating these tools and coordinating program activities.

The grant also funds direct faculty and staff support services, including workshops, mentorship programs, and training in grant management and commercialization practices designed to increase faculty participation in use-inspired research. Additionally, the project supports cross-regional technology showcase events and partnership development activities to expand industry and academic innovation networks, particularly in national priority areas such as defense, advanced manufacturing, supply chain resilience, and sustainable technology. These integrated efforts are designed to increase research funding portfolio growth and expand industry-academic innovation partnerships across the regional cohort.

Abstract

This collaborative effort aims to enhance innovation capacity and strengthen regional economic ecosystems by improving university-industry collaboration. This project will help the member institutions build the infrastructure and faculty support systems necessary to translate academic research into real-world applications that benefit local communities and national industries. By developing stronger connections between research, workforce development, and entrepreneurship, the cohort will create new opportunities for faculty, students, and industry partners to solve challenges in areas like defense, mobility, and advanced manufacturing. The project is especially focused on building sustainable partnerships and improving internal systems that allow faculty and staff to pursue industry-aligned research and commercialization efforts. The project focuses on two main goals: first, building internal capacity to manage externally funded research and commercialization projects by implementing a grant management system and customer relationship management platform , and second, expanding the cohort?S industry and cross-regional partnerships by developing an institutional asset map and hosting technology showcase events. The centrepolis accelerator will serve as the implementation hub, integrating these tools and leading training programs in grant management and commercialization. Workshops and mentorships will support faculty engagement, while cross-regional events with partner institutions will foster shared learning and project development. These efforts are expected to significantly increase faculty involvement in use-inspired research, grow the university?S research funding portfolio, and expand industry-academic innovation partnerships, especially in fields aligned with national priorities like supply chain resilience and sustainable technology. 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.