ERC Program History Book

 

Since 1984, the U.S. National Science Foundation’s highly successful Engineering Research Centers (ERC) Program has led the Foundation in developing innovative new modes of support for research and education, guided U.S. academic institutions to evolve the ways in which research is structured and to form intellectual and financial partnerships with industry, produced thousands of engineering graduates who are highly productive leaders and innovators in industry and academe, and enabled thousands of new technologies and companies that have stimulated the U.S. economy and yielded a substantial return on NSF’s investment.

The history of this landmark program, which continues to evolve and grow today, has now been told in an e-book written by Lynn Preston, who led the Program almost from its inception until 2013, and Courtland Lewis, the Program’s long-time communications consultant. The book was published in November 2020.

A quick overview of the online book is here. The e-book itself, which can be accessed without charge here, is easily navigated and searched and also provides links to hundreds of supporting resource and reference materials.