Centers of Economic Excellence program produces early successes
Contributed by the Centers of Economic Excellence Review Board

While the Centers of Economic Excellence program (formerly known as the Endowed Chairs program) was designed to produce benefits over the long term in South Carolina, the program has already led to many tangible, positive outcomes for the state:

+ At the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU- ICAR), four endowed chairs will form the academic core of the project. Since its groundbreaking, CU-ICAR has generated more than $215 million in investments from a collaboration of state, university, and major industry resources. By summer 2007, the first phase of development at CU- ICAR will be complete, accounting for more than 500 new jobs.

+ In the last five years, South Carolina's three research universities (Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, and the Medical University of South Carolina) have attracted more than $500 million a year in federal research funding, in part because of the Centers of Economic Excellence program.

+ The program has attracted industry- match dollars from Bank of America, Roche Carolina, BMW, Michelin, Timken, SunMicrosystems and a number of other companies, along with grants from major foundations such as the Duke Endowment.

+ The program is driving economic diversification in South Carolina by building the state's competitive position in emerging high-growth industries. These sectors include automotive engineering, health sciences, life sciences, nanotechnology, advanced materials, supply chain optimization and logistics, fuel cells, and molecular nutrition.

+ When the health sciences component of the program is fully funded and in place, as many as 40 world- class scientists, plus a cadre of researchers and technicians, will be working in South Carolina. The economic impact could range from hundreds of millions to billions of dollars in new products and jobs.

+ The program has spawned a major statewide collaboration in health sciences. Two of South Carolina's largest hospital systems, Greenville Hospital System and Columbia- based Palmetto Health, along with two of the state's largest universities, MUSC and USC, are pooling resources to invest in health science research.

+ Two researchers are currently being recruited for Endowed Chair positions at brain- imaging research centers in Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville. The USC alumnus who donated $1.75 million to the South Carolina Brain Imaging Center of Excellence said it is unlikely he would have made such a large gift if it were not for the Centers of Economic Excellence program.

+ The program has helped USC significantly bolster its position as one of the nation's leading research institutions. The Carnegie Foundation, a leading education policy center, recently designated USC as an institution with "very high research activity." Only 62 public and 32 private research institutions in the U.S. share this ranking, which firmly establishes USC among the nation's top research universities.

+ The Center for Clinical Effectiveness and Patient Safety, approved by the Research Centers of Economic Excellence Review Board in September 2005, will have operations in Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville. Each location could hire more than 100 people. Research conducted by the center will develop models of improved patient care and health professional education through the dissemination of information and the use of technology.

+ South Carolina's Bioengineering Center has been reestablished through the Centers of Economic Excellence program. This center will help make the state more attractive to biotech companies looking to expand or potential biotech startups.

+ The USC Center for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (a Center of Economic Excellence) was chosen by the National Science Foundation to become the nation's first Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Fuel Cells.

+ One Endowed Chair researcher, Dr. Charles Smith, is moving his biotechnology company to Charleston. Apogee Biotechnology Corporation will be working on next- generation drugs to treat cancer and other diseases in South Carolina.

+ The Duke Endowment awarded a three- year, $21 million grant to Health Sciences South Carolina, enabling it to fully develop and implement Centers of Economic Excellence Endowed Chairs and establish the Center of Healthcare Quality and Clinical Effectiveness. The grant is the largest ever made by the 82- year- old private foundation's healthcare division and will help propel South Carolina into the forefront of research on patient safety, clinical effectiveness, and quality of healthcare.