The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced today that a joint initiative of Landmark College, Bennington College, the Community College of Vermont, and the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation has been awarded $8,000,000 in federal grant funding through the NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). This grant funding will be used to establish the Science and Technology Research Initiative for the southern Vermont Economy (STRIVE), a novel partnership of educational institutions, business leaders, advocacy groups, economic development corporations, and local governments committed to leveraging STEM research to grow the economy in Vermont’s four southernmost counties.
"EPSCoR is a driving force in enabling STEM research for everyone, everywhere, ensuring broad access to innovation and opportunity," said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. "This cohort of E-CORE projects exemplifies the transformative power of investing in research infrastructure, and their contributions are poised to generate a lasting, sustainable impact on these jurisdictions' research ecosystems."
The STRIVE program will particularly target populations underrepresented in the STEM sector. This is the largest NSF grant ever awarded to Vermont institutions outside of Chittenden County, as well as to a college or university that serves exclusively neurodiverse individuals, as Landmark College does. As the lead institution for the grant, Landmark College will receive $6.1 million to establish an infrastructure for STRIVE, including hiring staff and building a web presence. CCV and BDCC will each receive a portion of that funding as subawardees, while Bennington College will receive an additional $1.8 million as a co-recipient of the grant.
“Expanding STEM research in rural America is crucial to solving some of the most pressing scientific and technological challenges we face today. Building strong partnerships between educational institutions, advocacy groups, and local governments to generate new STEM opportunities in rural communities is an essential part of that effort,” said Senator Peter Welch (D-VT). “This historic federal funding from the National Science Foundation will support the development of a more inclusive and innovative research ecosystem in Southern Vermont.”
“Vermont’s small businesses, educators, and students need federal investments to grow our economy and support our workforce, especially in rural Southern Vermont,” said Representative Becca Balint (D-VT). “I was so proud to support this project because I know the impact it will have on communities across Southern Vermont. This level of investment will allow for critical partnerships between colleges, public schools, and local businesses to thrive and ensure all Vermonters have access to STEM opportunities.”
“This is a groundbreaking opportunity for Landmark College and for STEM researchers, innovators and students across Southern Vermont,” said Adam Lalor, Vice President for Neurodiversity Research and Innovation at Landmark College. “At Landmark College we are thrilled to forge partnerships with local colleges, businesses, government, and nonprofits to advance neuroinclusive STEM research that will, undoubtedly, lead to economic and social benefit for the region.”
“This project revs up the engine of higher education in Southern Vermont, opening the doors of our science classrooms to pressing regional challenges with an aim to solve them. Bennington College is honored to join with Landmark College and CCV in leading this important venture,” said David Bond, Associate Director, Center for the Advancement of Public Action at Bennington College.
“The Community College of Vermont has served underrepresented students for over 50 years. Whether it be first-generation, military-connected, multilingual, or non-traditional students furthering their education, CCV is deeply committed to providing authentic educational opportunities to all Vermonters,” said Jarod Waite, Associate Academic Dean at CCV. “We are incredibly excited to continue this work as a partner on the STRIVE project and look forward to creating new opportunities for traditionally underserved constituencies to engage with Science and Technology educational experiences as well as bolster the STEM workforce in the southern region.”
“This is a great development for Southern Vermont’s economy,” said Adam Grinold, Executive Director of the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation. “The STRIVE program will support critical work to further develop and enhance a 21st century rural workforce that is inclusive and accessible to all Vermonters, regardless of their learning profile, gender, or socioeconomic status. At BDCC, we’re excited to get to work with our local partners in academia, in the private sector, and in local government to ensure that this investment creates value for generations to come.”
More information about the respective institutions and the NSF grant program is provided below.
Landmark College was the first institution of higher education to exclusively serve students who learn differently, including students with learning disabilities (such as dyslexia), ADHD, autism, or executive function challenges. The College offers associate and bachelor’s degrees as well as short-term programs on its Putney, Vermont campus along with a growing selection of online programs for high school students, college-age students, and education professionals.
Bennington College is a leading liberal arts college in southwestern Vermont that has distinguished itself as a vanguard institution within American higher education. It was the first to include the visual and performing arts in a liberal arts education. Bennington students work intensively with faculty to forge individual educational paths around their driving questions and interests. It is the only college that requires its students to complete an internship, known as Field Work Term, every year. Rooted in an abiding faith in the talent, imagination, and responsibility of the individual, Bennington invites students to pursue and shape their own intellectual inquiries and, in doing so, to discover the profound interconnection of things.
Community College of Vermont (CCV) is Vermont’s second-largest college, serving more than 10,000 students each year. With 12 locations and extensive online learning options, our students don’t have to travel far from their communities to access our degree and certificate programs, workforce, secondary and continuing education opportunities, and academic and veterans support services.
The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) is a private, nonprofit economic development organization that serves as a catalyst for industrial and commercial growth throughout Southeastern Vermont, including Windham County and the towns of Readsboro, Searsburg, Weston, and Winhall. BDCC is affiliated with the State of Vermont as the certified Regional Development Corporation (RDC) serving the greater Windham County area. BDCC is one of 12 RDCs throughout Vermont.
Additional Information from the NSF: The U.S. National Science Foundation is investing approximately $40 million to support research and STEM workforce development in Delaware, Guam, Kentucky, Louisiana and Vermont. These grants are part of the NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NSF EPSCoR), which aims to bolster research competitiveness among 28 targeted states and territories, referred to as jurisdictions.
This is the third cohort of awards made through the EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: EPSCoR Collaborations for Optimizing Research Ecosystems (E-CORE). Over the next four years, the teams will each receive roughly $8 million to improve research infrastructure, build collaborative partnerships and expand science, technology, engineering and mathematics networks within their jurisdiction. E-CORE was established in response to the 2022 Study of the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, the Envisioning the Future of NSF EPSCoR Final Report and the "CHIPS and Science Act of 2022."
Through these projects, awardees will help drive scalable impacts that align with EPSCoR goals. The projects will promote research with practical benefits, boost economic growth and address research infrastructure gaps in areas that have historically received less funding, supporting innovation, technology and education across the U.S. and its territories.
STRIVE Award Information: E-CORE RII: The Science and Technology Research Initiative for the Vermont Economy
· This project, led by Landmark College, aims to build an inclusive research ecosystem to serve as a cornerstone of the Vermont economy. The project's goal is to establish administrative support to build and sustain a diverse, integrated science and technology research ecosystem in Vermont. The project also aims to expand opportunities in STEM education and research for students who are neurodivergent, first-generation, low-income or multilingual, in order to ensure opportunities for all talented students. The project will build research capacity through training, increasing research opportunities and creating new science and technology jobs. It will contribute to expanding the science and technology workforce locally and nationally.