Clemson joins national alliance to guide engineering research

Clemson University has joined a new alliance led by the National Science Foundation to help guide the future of engineering research and innovation. 

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Engineering has launched the Engineering Research Visioning Alliance (ERVA), the first engineering research-visioning organization of its kind. Clemson joined the alliance as a member of the EPSCoR IDEA Foundation, one of ERVA’s founding organizations.  

“The mission of the Alliance aligns well with our strengths and goals as a Carnegie R1 research institution: pursue transformative research that will have the greatest impact on society and quality of life,” said Tanju Karanfil, Clemson vice president of research. “I enthusiastically support this effort to bring together all interested parties in shaping the future of engineering research.” 

Funded with up to $8 million from the NSF, ERVA will work to connect the national engineering community, including people and organizations in academia, government and industry, as well as professional organizations and the interested public. Building on community ideas, ERVA will share compelling visions for future engineering research to address national needs and societal challenges, leading to positive impacts on people’s lives.

Clemson’s Daniel Noneaker, associate dean for research in the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences, will serve as an ERVA liaison to interact with and recruit people and organizations interested in participating in the ERVA collaborative. 

“The culture of excellence we strive for in the College’s research and academic enterprise is the result of productive partnerships with academic collaborators, government entities and industrial alliances,” said Anand Gramopadhye, dean of the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences. “It is exciting to contemplate how ERVA will allow us to expand these partnerships.”

The core partners of ERVA are members of the Big Ten Academic Alliance; the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR)/Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Foundation (EIF); and the University Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP). The American Society for Engineering Education and other affiliate partners will provide important connections beyond these core groups.

“Engineering has the power to transform people’s lives, especially when it brings to bear a diversity of knowledge, perspectives, and experience to solve important problems,” says NSF Assistant Director for Engineering Dawn Tilbury. “With NSF’s support, the Engineering Research Visioning Alliance will enable the engineering community to mobilize and make a difference in our country’s future.”