1979 South Dakota was one of seven states invited to apply for NSF EPSCoR I funding. Scientific research commonly began to create focused groups in South Dakota within the universities and organized institutions into a cooperative venture. A site visit by NSF brought EPSCoR in South Dakota visibility and crucial exit interview between Donald Langenburg and incoming Governor George Mickelson. Scientific research attracted the attention of State Government and forced a serious evaluation of priorities within the scientific community.
Membership includes representatives from higher education, government, and business.
Governor Mickelson established the South Dakota Future Fund, the source of state matching funds, for building science and engineering teaching and research capacities at the state universities. The Future Fund is supported by taxes paid by South Dakota businesses. Funding of substantial amount of research, building of strong cooperative arrangements between the institutions and state government. 1992 South Dakota was invited to apply to the Advanced Development Program competition. USD serves as host institution, with Royce Engstrom as Project Director.