The Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR)
is a university-based federal-state partnership which aims to enhance science and technology infrastructure - in education, in the private sector, and in related government programs. EPSCoR operates on the principle that aiding researchers and institutions in securing federal R&D funding will develop a state's research infrastructure and advance economic growth. The core of every state-centered EPSCoR program is a partnership with the National Science Foundation.

The Alaska EPSCoR State Committee is composed of representatives from all sectors of the state of Alaska including education, private sector and local government.

Twenty-five states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands participate in the NSF EPSCoR programs. In addition, Alaska is eligible to apply for support from the IDeA programs of the National Institutes of Health and the EPSCoR-like programs of the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense (DEPSCoR), and the the Environmental Protection Agency.