SMARTSTATE: RESEARCH STARS

Purpose:

Get: South Carolina state senators + representatives
Who: Make decisions about what state programs to fund 
To: See the ROI from investing in R&D conducted at Palmetto State universities
By: Introducing the world-class researchers whose work is transforming South Carolina’s economy

The Idea:

In an effort to effort to elevate the state’s knowledge economy, the South Carolina General Assembly established the SmartState Program. Its purpose was to recruit world-class researchers to Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina whose intellectual property would spark new companies and job creation. As a state-funded initiative, the SmartState Program had to demonstrate return on investment to the state’s legislature.

For five consecutive years, Lux-Writes was hired by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) to formally document and demonstrate the SmartState Program’s impact. This included in-depth annual reports and a unique “at a glance” publication called Research Stars. Lux worked closely with CHE,  university provosts and their SmartState researchers, and the state’s economists to create these legislative and public information tools. These materials were also used to attract corporate sponsors and beneficiaries of the SmartState Program, including BMW, Michelin, Fluor Daniel and others.