In 2003, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded the United States Virgin Islands a NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII) grant to strengthen the capability of researchers in the USVI to conduct nationally competitive research. U.S. National Science Foundation EPSCoR monies for the research activities – known collectively as The Biocomplexity of Caribbean Coral Reefs (BCCR) Project - were augmented by grants from the Virgin Islands government, local businesses and industry, and private non-profit foundations.

With the success of the BCCR grant, the Territory received its second RII grant from NSF EPSCoR in 2008. This allowed further development of its original research focus. The BCCR project expanded and grew into The Integrated Caribbean Coastal Ecosystems (ICCE) Project.

VI-EPSCoR’s third NSF RII grant Mare Nostrum Caribbean (Our Caribbean Sea): Stewardship Through Strategic Research and Workforce Development ran from August of 2014 to June 2019. Mare Nostrum Caribbean supported research that increased our understanding of the challenges facing local coral reef ecosystems – from climate change to destructive human impacts. The Virgin Islands was one of only six jurisdictions nation-wide to receive RII grants from the NSF EPSCoR in 2014.

Today, we are honored to carry on the tradition of research excellence through our fourth NSF EPSCoR RII grant Ridge to Reef Processes and Interdependent Drivers of Small Island Resilience. This Project is the first one that takes a detailed look at land-based inputs that wash down the hillsides and enter the marine environment. The award period is from July 2020 to June 2025.

The University of the Virgin Islands Office of Sponsored Programs supports and facilitates VI-EPSCoR’s efforts to obtain external support for USVI research programs through grants and contracts. For additional details and contact information, please visit the UVI Office of Sponsored Programs website.