Partners

The SmartState Program has created a strong spirit of collaboration driving positive change in South Carolina. Leaders from across the state in industry, government, and academia have recognized that the state’s research sector can lift South Carolina to the national forefront in innovation, business generation, job creation, and public health. With the SmartState Program and its Centers of Economic Excellence at the core, these diverse partners are working together in new and innovative ways.

Each SmartState Program partner plays an important role:

State Government and SmartState Review Board
South Carolina’s political leaders set the course for the SmartState Program in 2002. That's when the South Carolina General Assembly approved the visionary Research Centers of Economic Excellence Act. Since then, Lawmakers have appropriated $180 million to fund Centers of Economic Excellence in energy, biotech, nanotechnology, and other critical areas, which have attracted renowned scientists to the state’s three research universities—Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the University of South Carolina. The state, along with private partners, is investing in university-based research to fuel the knowledge economy and help create jobs in South Carolina.

The SmartState Review Board, consisting of eleven members from the private sector, is responsible for awarding state matching funds, for oversight and operation of the fund, and for various accountability requirements. The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education staff provides assistance to the Review Board.

Industry/Corporate Investors
SmartState acts as a catalyst for outside investment in South Carolina’s research. Every state dollar must be matched dollar-for-dollar with private, municipal or federal funds. Twnety-seven major corporations and corporate foundations have invested a minimum of $500,000 for a total of $80 million. Some of South Carolina’s largest companies have stepped up to invest in SmartState, including BMW, Michelin and Timken. By investing in SmartState, these partners have an opportunity to build a strategic alliance with South Carolina’s research universities and world-class faculty.

Federal Government

Most sources for the required dollar-for-dollar non-state matching funds come from private, non-governmental sources. Federal matching dollars account for just 15 percent of total matching funds. Federal sources include the Depaprtment of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and other agencies with a vested interest in the potentially world-changing research being conducted within South Carolina's Centers of Economic Excellence.

Private Foundations

The vision behind the SmartState Program has inspired investment from private foundations thatrecognize the power of the SmartState Program to use research to change the course of South Carolina's future and have invested in Centers of Economic Excellence.

Healthcare Organizations

More than half of the SmartState Program's Centers of Economic Excellence are involved in healthcare research, which is only appropriate since healthcare is a major economic driver. Among the program's healthcare partners is Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC), the nation's first statewide biomedical research collaborate composed of the state's three largest research universities, Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina; and seven largest health systems, AnMed Health, Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center, McLeod Health, MUSC Health, Palmetto Health, Self Regional Health, and Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System. Through its investment in the SmartState Program, HSSC seeks to improve South Carolina's economy and public health. Other healthcare-related investors include The DUke Endowment, a North Carolina-based foundation, and the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation.

Research Universities

South Carolina’s research universities, Clemson University, the Medical University of South Caroina and the University of South Carolina, use state and private SmartState funds to attract world-class researchers. These scientists work in areas that hold the greatest promise for economic development and job creation in South Carolina. Through SmartState, the universities also build research infrastructure, enhance academic programs, facilitate technology transfer to the business community, and attract top students who will fuel South Carolina's workforce.