STAC budget cut may risk R.I. EPSCoR push

PROVIDENCE – Citing Rhode Island’s budget woes, Gov. Donald L. Carcieri has proposed reducing to five the number of collaborative research grants that the R.I. Science and Technology Advisory Council will award early next year.
The reduction, which would need General Assembly approval, could jeopardize the state’s effort to win a five-year, $20 million extension of the National Science Foundation’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) in Rhode Island.
As part of his deficit-reduction plan, the governor proposed cutting $200,000, or about 13 percent, of the $1.5 million earmarked for the Rhode Island Research Alliance, which allocates grants to researchers from multiple institutions who join together for a project.
This year, the council awarded seven grants of about $200,000 each to collaborative research projects by 23 scientists from 10 institutions statewide.
The proposed cut would reduce to five the number of available grants. Applications for this year’s awards were due in October, and the winners are scheduled to be announced this month.
Melissa Chambers, a spokeswoman for the R.I. Economic Development Corporation, which manages STAC, said the National Science Foundation would weigh the cuts when it decides on the state’s application for an extension.
An EDC spokeswoman said the agency expects to receive a final decision about the EPSCoR extension in late May or early June. The current grant runs through June 30. •