It's been little more than a decade since the South Carolina SmartState Program was established by the state's General Assembly in 2002 with $180 million of non-tax revenue generated from the South Carolina Education Lottery. This investment is paying off, as the SmartState Program has already attracted more than $1.4 Billion in investments in our state from businesses and foundations in search of innovation, collaboration, and talented, well-prepared employees. SmartState has also created more than 8,000 jobs, and the program continues to attract a prestigious list of corporate partners such as BMW, Boeing, GM, SCANA, Fluor and many more eager to pursue joint research with our state's research universities and employ their graduates.

Appropriated South Carolina Education Lottery funds and legislatively mandated dollar-for-dollar matching non-state funds provide support for hiring world-class researchers who serve as the endowed chairs of these SmartState Centers. Since its inception, the SmartState Program has brought the knowledge and expertise of 43 world-class scientists to South Carolina. The University of South Carolina is the lead or sole research institution for 18 SmartState Centers and is a supporting research collaborator in eight more, working with the Medical University of South Carolina and Clemson University. Carolina's other research partners are South Carolina State University and Coastal Carolina University.

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