The Advanced Support for Innovative Research Excellence (ASPIRE) program was initiated in 2012 to fund promising research
and shared research infrastructure to help strengthen the University of South Carolina’s competitiveness for external grants and bolster scholarships throughout the USC System.

The following recipients were successful in obtaining ASPIRE internal funding for their proposals:

ASPIRE-I: Innovation funding is designed to support faculty seeking to develop a relatively
new line of research exploration for which they ultimately plan to seek new scholarly pursuits, including external funding.

ASPIRE I -Track 1
Professor Aaron Vannucci - grant funded in the amount of $15,000
Professor Hui Wang - grant funded in the amount of $15,000

ASPIRE I –Track 2
Priyanka Singh (a postdoctoral fellow in Professor Mythreye Karthikeyan' group)  - grant funded in the amount of $5,000

ASPIRE I - Track 3 and 4
Professor Michael Angel - grant funded in the amount of $14,981
Professor Sophya Garashchuk - grant funded in the amount of $14,775
Professor Wayne Outten - grant funded in the amount of $15,000

ASPIRE-II: Integration encourages interdisciplinary, collaborative research by funding meritorious projects undertaken by groups of at least three faculty representing a minimum of two USC colleges or schools.

Professor Parastoo Hashemi - grant funded in the amount of $100,000
Professor John Lavigne - grant funded in the amount of $100,000

ASPIRE-III: Infrastructure helps faculty researchers invest in multi-user research equipment and/or facilities that will enhance USC's research infrastructure.

ASPIRE III
Professor Susan Richardson -  grant funded in the amount of $93,845
Professor Maksymilian Chruszcz - PI and Professor Tom Makris - CoPI - grant funded in the amount of $27,000