Maine EPSCoR has developed a five year plan to further improve Maine`s research and education capacity in the field of Energy. The initiatives of this Energy Education and Research Plan are integrated with other major science policy initiatives in the state, specifically the state`s Science and Technology Strategic Plan (1992), the NSF Statewide Systemic Initiative (1992), and the Report of the Maine Commission on Comprehensive Energy Planning. The plan was developed with the support of US Department of Energy and State of Maine funds. The planning process was led by the Maine DOE EPSCoR planning committee of Maine EPSCoR. Researchers, educators, and business people assisted the committee in the development of the plan. This plan draws from priorities established by focus groups, the strengths and weaknesses revealed by the resource assessment, and the suggestions offered in the solicited research and education briefs. The plan outlines strategies for the improvement of energy education, communication networks, support of individual research, and the formation of collaborative research groups in targeted areas. Five energy-related areas have been targeted for possible development of collaborative research groups: Energy Technology Research, Energy and the Environment, the Gulf of Maine and Its Watershed, the Human Genome, and Renewable Energy. The targeted areas are not boundaries limiting the extent of collaborations to be pursued but represent research themes through which the state`s resources can be combined and improved.
